Cold as Ice, Silent as the Grave
by peachyblonde35
Summary: When ghostly apparitions threaten to steal Kagome away, the gang finds themselves up against a new foe and an unspeakably evil plot. To save themselves, and retrieve the jewel shard, Kagome is the only one who can lead her friends, and maybe even make amends to the dead.
1. Chapter 1

**Chap 1.**

Kagome was exhausted. Her feet were tired from a long few days of walking, and despite their few stops to wash off in whatever streams they came across, she still felt sticky with dirt and sweat. She groaned to herself about what she would give for a proper bath. They were camped for the night on the edge of a rolling rice field, with a small village off on the far side. Miroku had wanted to go to the village to find an inn for the night (likely hoping to find a pretty innkeeper or maid to seduce), but the "town" was little more than a cluster of small shacks, and there didn't seem to be much in the way of hospitality offered by the residents. Kagome pondered that that could have been due to the fact that Inuyasha had called one of the elders a "withered old hag" when they had made a snide comment about his ears, but it was possible they were just not the friendliest of people in general.

In either case, the group was now resigned to huddling by a small fire in a clearing beneath a sad looking willow tree, with a sluggish, brown river running at their backs. Kagome couldn't remember the last time they had camped in such a dreary place. Normally, she enjoyed their time in the woods and out in the wild as a welcome relief from the bustle of Tokyo. Despite the dirt, it was charming and peaceful, hearing birdsong and feeling the breeze rushing through the branches and the grass. But this place was eerily quiet, hung with a chilly fog like some immense phantom had settled down on top of them, intent on stealing every ounce of warmth and comfort from their bodies.

Kagome knew she wasn't the only one unnerved. Inuyasha, who would normally be lounging lazily by the fire, instead had perched himself up in the branches of the willow tree, his eyes scanning the rolling horizon, searching the shadows for something beyond Kagome's sight. Sango sat running a cloth across her throwing weapon with her back stiff as a board, clearly tense though she said nothing. At her side, Kirara was curled in a tight ball, ears flat against her skull as if the silence was deafening. Miroku seemed the most at ease, stirring a bubbling pot of stew and occasionally fiddling with the wrapping on his hand, but even the calm of his face was still traced with the slightest hints of worry. His movements were almost shaky, like he was nervous, and more than once Kagome saw him share an odd look with Sango or steal a sudden glance up at Inuyasha. The only one who seemed to not be hiding their fear was Shippo, who had declared right away that he did not want to spend the night in that place, whining and whimpering until Inuyasha had at last quieted him with a less than affectionate smack on the head. Now Shippo had huddled himself in Kagome's lap, looking grumpy and teary-eyed with all the hairs on his body standing on end like a frightened puppy. Kagome sighed. She was exhausted, but she had a sinking feeling none of them would be getting much rest that night.

The strange, awkward silence was finally broken when Miroku announced that the stew was ready, and everyone muttered their relief at the thought of some hot food. The only one who remained unmoved was Inuyasha - he didn't peel his eyes away from the darkness for even a moment. Kagome frowned up into the tree at him, knowing he was probably going to be too stubborn to convince him to come eat, but also knowing she had to try. He would be useless if he was both tired and hungry. She walked to the base of the tree and craned her neck up at him. She watched him for a moment, noticing his ears twitching in all directions. Inuyasha really was like a dog sometimes.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called out. "Inuyasha, you need to come eat something!" She saw Inuyasha glance down at her for a moment, but then he returned his gaze to the field without a word. Kagome grumbled, putting her hands on her hips in frustration.

"Inuyasha, I know you can hear me, you jerk," she said. This time Inuyasha didn't even look down, but seemed to ignore her shouts entirely, which only served to irritate Kagome further.

"Jeez, this guy…" She fumed, contemplating just yelling out 'sit' and getting it over with quickly, but she decided to try to be civil. Still not easily defeated, she reached for the lowest branches of the tree and began to haul herself up. Inuyasha definitely made it look easier than it was; by the time Kagome had finally reached Inuyasha's branch she was panting and huffing, and annoyed enough to be tempted to just shove Inuyasha right to the ground. What a pain, she thought, having to climb up a tree like a fool to drag this idiot down. She tried to calm herself, creeping forward toward the end of the branch where Inuyasha sat.

"Come on, Inuyasha," Kagome called out. "Just come down and eat, I really don't feel like doing this right now." She reached a hand forward to grasp his shoulder. "Inuyasha are you even listen-"

Suddenly Inuyasha clamped his hand tightly over her mouth. Kagome gasped and blinked in surprise for a moment, then felt her face growing red with anger as she pulled at his hand to remove it from her face. Before she could make another sound though, Inuyasha turned to her with a startlingly serious expression, and held a finger to his lips to hush her. Seeing the intensity of his face frightened her, and reluctantly she nodded to confirm she would be quiet. He removed his hand from her mouth and turned back around toward the silent, open field bathed in night. Kagome moved closer to his back so that her face hovered above his shoulder, straining her eyes to see if she could spot anything, but there was nothing. The land was as still as if it were dead.

"Do you… see anything?" She whispered, suddenly afraid to make a sound. Inuyasha furrowed his brow and made a sound in his throat like a soft growl which Kagome had come to know meant he was deep in thought.

"No," he said at last. "Nothing. There's nothing out there at all."

"Isn't... that a good thing?" Kagome asked cautiously.

Inuyasha shook his head slowly. "I don't like it," he said decidedly.

Kagome turned her head to look at Inuyasha's face, and almost immediately he did the same. For a moment they looked at one another eye to eye, then it suddenly seemed to dawn on them both just how close their faces were. Both of them quickly turned away again, hiding the blushes that were spreading across their cheeks.

Kagome cleared her throat awkwardly. "Anyway," she said, still feeling the hot flush on her face. "Why don't you come have some food?"

Though his face remained serious, Inuyasha's ears twitched ever so slightly. Kagome felt a smile creep up on her face. "Miroku made stew…" She coaxed.

"Hmm... " Inuyasha never ceased his scowling, but Kagome could tell he was caving. "With... meat and carrots?" He asked, almost too quietly to hear.

"Yeah," She nodded, trying to hide a grin. "So let's eat, okay?" Her irritation from earlier seemed to be melting away despite herself. The sight of Inuyasha sheepishly stifling his excitement at the mention of food was just too entertaining. He really is an idiot, she thought.

"Well… alright, fine!" Inuyasha grumbled dramatically. Changing positions on the branch, he bent his knees to prepare to leap back to the ground, but Kagome suddenly grabbed at the sleeve of his robe.

"Wait!" She cried.

"What?!" Inuyasha yelped. "I thought you wanted me to hurry up and get down, make up your mind!"

Kagome clung tighter to his arm with an indignant huff. "After I climbed all the way up here to get you, the least you could do would be to carry me back down!" She demanded.

"I didn't ask you to come up here, stupid," Inuyasha retorted, his cheeks burning again. But then as if an idea had snuck into his head, he suddenly grinned. "But, hey, if you want me to carry you down, then let's go!"

Before Kagome could protest, Inuyasha scooped her up over his shoulder and leapt from the branch. Instead of allowing for a graceful descent, Inuyasha had launched himself even higher, and then let them both plummet toward the ground below at a dizzying speed. Kagome screeched as her stomach felt like it had lifted into her throat. At the last moment, Inuyasha softened their impact by bending his legs, landing in a squat. Immediately Kagome tumbled off his shoulder in a somersault and ended up flat on her behind with her legs splayed out in front of her. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all jumped in surprise at Kagome's sudden entrance, and behind her Inuyasha stifled a devilish laugh.

Kagome pulled herself to her feet and dusted off her skirt, shooting Inuyasha a furious glare which he ignored. She continued to glare and grumble at him as he helped himself to a bowl of stew, but inside she couldn't help but to feel relieved. Inuyasha was a pain when he was teasing her, but at least it felt normal. His mischievous grin, however much it irritated her, was still more of a comfort than anything. Especially at that moment, when she was feeling so cold and weary. She hated to admit it, but Inuyasha could warm her heart and settle her nerves better than anyone.

As if on cue, Inuyasha interrupted Kagome's thoughts by shoving a steaming bowl of stew into her hands. "Come on, idiot," he said with a mouthful. "You made all that fuss about eating, so eat."

Kagome begrudgingly accepted, and took a seat back beside the fire. Almost as if without thinking, Inuyasha followed and sat beside her, the both of them eating in comfortable silence shoulder to shoulder. Beside them, Miroku and Sango did the same. For the first time that evening, they all felt a little bit at ease. Even Shippo, who was looking between the two pairs with subtle amusement, seemed to have relaxed.

When everyone finally had full bellies and higher spirits, Sango suggested they update their plans for where to travel next. They'd been taking the easiest route through the valleys, going from one farming village to another inquiring about any demon activity that might lead them to the next jewel shard. They'd had no luck for a while, though. Sango had made the suggestion before that they should try going higher up into the mountains, thinking they might have better luck in more remote areas. She brought the idea up once more, adding that they might all need a change of pace anyway.

"If we really want to change things up," Miroku chimed in. "I say we go to the ocean."

"Why would we do that?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Inuyasha, do you really have no imagination at all?" Miroku chided with a shake of his head. "Just picture: laying on the beach, feeling the sun on your face, looking out at the best view in the world."

"The ocean is very pretty," Kagome said thoughtfully.

"Oh, no," Miroku said. "I was talking about seeing you and Sango swimming around in your undergarments. Don't you think so, Inuya- ah!"

Kagome and Sango delivered synchronized punches to the back of Miroku's head and he collapsed to the ground with a thud before he could finish.

Sango shook her head and sighed. "This is serious," she said sternly. "The longer we go like this, without any clues or leads, the more likely it is that demons are finding the jewel shards."

"Yeah," Kagome agreed somberly. "Maybe even Naraku..."

"No!" Inuyasha snarled. "We aren't going to let him get another shard, not ever!"

"Then we need a better plan," Sango said. "We can't just keep wandering aimlessly around like this."

"But what else can we do?" Shippo asked, clinging to Kagome's arm. "It's not like we can just magically guess where a jewel shard will be."

"I thought Kagome could sense the shards?" Miroku said, sitting back up and rubbing the lump on his head.

"I wish it were that easy," Kagome sighed. "I can only sense the shards if they're nearby."

"Hmm…" Miroku stroked his chin in thought. "I wonder if there is a way to make you more perceptive to the shards, to be able to find them from farther away?"

"How would we do that?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. "Forget it, trying to do all that will just be a waste of time, we need to…" Suddenly Inuyasha eyes opened wide and he snapped his head around to look behind him. All the others jumped at the movement.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked.

"Shh!" Inuyasha ordered, dropping down to a crouch. Miroku grabbed his staff and Sango reached for her throwing weapon. Kagome had a thought to retrieve her bow, but before she could, Shippo leapt into her arms with a frightened yelp.

Ignoring the others, Inuyasha continued to creep forward until he was almost at the edge of the rice field. While they waited to see what he would do, Kagome suddenly had a sickening sensation of eyes staring at the back of her head. Something, or someone, was behind her. Slowly, shaking like a leaf, she turned her head to look out across the river at her back. Her heart sank to her toes when she saw what looked like a pale figure staring back at her from the other side.

She was frozen, unable to even scream. It was like something was holding her in place with an invisible hand around her throat. She might have stayed stuck like that for who knows how long if Shippo hadn't turned to see what she was looking at. Unlike Kagome, Shippo seemed perfectly capable of expressing his fear. In an instant he let out an ear splitting squeal and climbed even farther up Kagome until he was clinging to the back of her head, his eyes wide as saucers.

Hearing Shippo's shouts seemed to shake Kagome free of her trance and she found her voice again. "Inu-Inuyasha!" She screamed, pointing a finger out across the river.

Immediately the others dashed to stand between Kagome and the strange figure, Inuyasha at the front.

"Who's there?" He shouted. "Show yourself!"

In the drifting mist, the figure remained motionless. It was almost impossible to make out any features except that it seemed to be wearing all white, and Kagome guessed from the silhouette that it was a man. It remained silent.

Miroku stepped up beside Inuyasha. "It looks like a person," he whispered.

"Then why won't he answer?" Sango questioned behind them.

Inuyasha growled and called out across the water again. "Listen buddy, you better answer or else we won't hold back, got it?"

The figure, who had been staring straight forward, at last slowly tilted it's head, and turned to cast it's hidden gaze off to the right. Almost at once, they all realized it was looking at Kagome. Once again, she felt a shiver run through her body like cold hands were clutching at her all over, and she took a fearful step back.

"It's… it's looking right at us…" Shippo whimpered. "Kagome?"

Kagome again could not answer. Her heart was starting to ache with a strange, icy pain. Suddenly, without realizing it, she began to move forward.

"Hey!" Shippo cried, jumping down in front of her. "Kagome what are you doing, don't go toward it!" He held up his hands to stop her, but she pushed past him easily. "Wait!" He cried again, clutching at her foot.

Kagome didn't hear him. All she could hear was the sound of the river, and feel those invisible hands pulling her forward. She took another step. The cold feeling in her chest was getting stronger.

"Kagome, stop!" Inuyasha was suddenly at Kagome's side, grabbing onto her shoulders to hold her back. "Are you crazy, what the hell are you doing?"

From across the river, the figure suddenly spoke. In an echoing, pained voice, it moaned out a single word. "Kagome…"

Is if in response, Kagome's whole body tensed and she tried to take another step forward. Inuyasha quickly pulled her to his chest and locked his arms around her.

"Kagome!" He yelled. "What are you doing, snap out of it!"

Kagome looked up at him blankly, and Inuyasha was startled to see there were tears in her eyes.

"Kagome…" The figure called out again, sounding more desperate this time. It took a step forward, and it's features became somewhat clearer. It looked like a boy, wrapped tightly in white cloth from head to toe with shadowy pits for eyes. As it stepped closer, the group was horrified to see more figures were appearing as well. Not just across the river, but all around. As if appearing out of thin air, suddenly there were dozens of white-wrapped figures, all along the river bank and scattered in the rice field, still as statues and pale as death.

"What's going on?" Miroku yelled, turning wildly to look at the ghostly apparitions surrounding them.

Beside him Sango glared hard. "Wait a minute…" She whispered.

"Sango?" Miroku asked. "What is it?"

Without answering him, Sango rushed forward and tossed her weapon with a quick, powerful throw.

Miroku's eyes widened. "Wait! Sango, what are you…" He stopped mid sentence, and all the others gasped as well as they watched Sango's weapon arch through the air and make contact with a figure. Instead of knocking it down, it passed through as if the person was made of smoke. As the weapon continued it's curve, each figure it passed through becoming momentarily dissipated like disturbed fog, but quickly reformed. When the weapon at last returned and Sango caught it out of the air, she sighed.

"I knew it," She said. "Spirits."

"What?" Shippo said. "You mean like... ghosts?!"

Before anyone could answer, a chorus of sad, empty voices rang out from all around. "Kagome… Kagome…" They called over and over, sounding more and more urgent. It was a terrible, spine-chilling sound.

Each time they said her name, Kagome pulled harder against Inuyasha's grasp. Her eyes were now overflowing with tears, yet they remained expressionless, like she was staring at something very far away. Inuyasha held her tightly, but she continued to struggle with a strength that Inuyasha knew was not her own. Kagome should not have been able to escape his grip, and yet he found himself straining to keep her still. What was going on?

"Dammit…" He groaned, in a tugging match with some unseen force that was pulling Kagome away from him. He gripped her shoulders so tightly his nails began to dig into her skin and he saw small trickles of blood forming. "Dammit!" He yelled again. "We need to get Kagome away from here!" He called over his shoulder to the others.

"Kirara!" Sango shouted. In an instant, Kirara was at her side, gown to her full size. "Take Kagome somewhere safe!" Sango instructed.

Kirara nodded and then leapt forward toward where Inuyasha was still struggling to hold Kagome. Seeing Kirara approaching, Inuyasha used one last hard pull to toss Kagome onto Kirara's back, where she lay shaking a moment before going limp.

At the last second, Shippo mounted Kirara as well. "I'll look after her!" He yelled down to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha glared. "Hey, now just wait a sec-"

"Go Kirara!" Shippo yelled, and they were off. Kirara carried them high into the air until they were blotted out by the low cloud cover.

"It's okay," Miroku said, returning to Inuyasha's side. "She'll be fine."

With an annoyed growl Inuyasha nodded, and turned back towards the enemies that were gathering all around. For a few minutes, the figures all turned to watch Kagome depart, then returned their gaze back to the group in front of them. Sango held her weapon at the ready, Miroku prepared to remove the wrapping from his wind tunnel, and Inuyasha extended his claws, all of them waiting for the first attack. But then, something strange seemed to happen.

"Look!" Sango said, lowering her weapon. They all watched in shock as one by each, each of the pale figures started to fade out of view. Within moments, they were gone. Not long after, the heavy fog seemed to dissipate as well, until the air was once again clear and calm, with a soft breeze rustling the grass. For the first time that night they heard sound - crickets chirping and frogs croaking. All was as it should have been from the start, is if a veil had been lifted and the land had finally been allowed to breath again.

"What… just happened?" Inuyasha asked, scratching his head.

"They've all gone,"Miroku said, stunned. "What was that all about?"

"They all disappeared as soon as Kagome was gone…" Sango pondered. "It seems like she was all they wanted."

"Well, yeah, but why?" Inuyasha said, his face dark with worry. He looked up at the now crystal clear sky where stars were twinkling in the distance. "Wait…" He said, his voice rising. "You don't think… you don't think they'll follow her, do you?"

Sango and Miroku's faces grew dark as well. "I don't know," Sango said. "But it's possible."

"We have to catch up with them," Inuyasha said, rushing to retrieve the Tetsusaiga from beside the fire, which he was cursing himself for not doing sooner.

Sango and Miroku exchanged weary glances. "What?" Inuyasha questioned, feeling his temper rising. "We have to get them!"

"Maybe we should wait for them to come back," Sango suggested. "This is the place they'll return to, it might not be a good idea to leave."

"I think I might agree," Miroku said. "If we rush off now we might miss each other, and then it'll be a nightmare trying to find one another again."

"Come on!" Inuyasha yelled. "If we just hurry up and catch them, we don't have to worry about all that! We're wasting time!"

Sango and Miroku both sighed, and then reluctantly nodded. "Okay, let's go."

At last, with Inuyasha in the lead, all three rushed off in the direction that Kirara had gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chap 2.**

Kagome woke feeling cold and disoriented. Above her was a night sky full of stars. She could feel that she was moving, and it took her a moment to realize she was in the air. "What… where am I?" She asked groggily.

Shippo appeared at her side. "Kagome!" He cried happily. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Kagome said, sitting up slowly. "I think so, anyway. What happened?"

"We were surrounded by ghosts!" Shippo shuddered to himself. "They were calling out to you. You kept trying to go to them, don't you remember?"

"I… don't know," Kagome said, gripping the side of her head. "I remember seeing something on the other side of the river, but then…" Images suddenly flashed in her head. She saw the white-draped boy who had been standing on the far riverbank, his dark, shadowy eyes like empty caverns. She remembered the feeling of cold hands. More than anything, she remembered sadness.

"I think…" She said. "I think they were trying to tell me something." She realized her cheeks were wet, and she reached up to wipe away the tears she hadn't known she'd been shedding. "I felt so sad," She said. "I was… feeling what they were feeling. That boy…"

"Do you remember why you were trying to go to him? Inuyasha could barely hold you back." Shippo said.

Kagome shook her head. "It wasn't me. They were… pulling me. Calling me. It felt like they needed my help, like they were desperate about something."

"Whatever it was, it was scary," Shippo whimpered. "Even Inuyasha looked scared."

Hearing Inuyasha's name seemed to bring Kagome more to her senses. "Wait, Shippo," she said, looking around. "Where are the others? They didn't stay behind, did they?"

"We didn't know what else to do," Shippo said dejectedly. "Inuyasha couldn't have kept holding you back any longer without hurting you." He pointed at Kagome's shoulders, and she noticed there were smalls stains of blood on her shirt. Now that she was thinking about it, her arms did sting a little.

"Inuyasha…" She whispered, feeling a pit grow in her stomach as she reached up to touch the shallow scratches. She knew he would be feeling guilty about that, and already her heart was aching for him.

"We have to go back, Shippo," Kagome instructed.

"Wait, what?" Shippo whimpered. "Kagome, we can't go back there, those ghosts will take you away!"

Ignoring him, Kagome looked down toward the ground to see if she could get her bearings. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw what was below.

"On second thought," She squeaked, jolting back upright. "Maybe you're right."

"Huh?" Shippo followed her gaze, and then yelled in fright. On the ground just below, a large bank of fog was rolling across the land keeping pace with them. Among the fog, the same white figures from before drifted in and out of sight, vanishing and then reappearing further forward each time so that the whole frightening scene never fell more than a few seconds behind them. The figures themselves never moved from their stone-like postures, which made it all the more eerie.

"They're following us!" Shippo said.

Kagome couldn't hear anything from that distance to tell if they were still calling out to her, but even just looking down she felt the same frigid sadness gripping her heart as before. She forced herself not to look and gripped tightly onto Kirara's fur as their pace quickened.

"Please, Inuyasha," She said to herself. "Inuyasha, please hurry."


	3. Chapter 3

Chap 3.

If there was ever one thing that Sango and Miroku dreaded, it was being stuck behind with Inuyasha when Kagome was in danger. They were worried for their friend of course, but both Sango and Miroku knew Kagome could be capable of taking care of herself. Yet, as always, there was no convincing Inuyasha of that. It was all they could do to keep pace with him as he raced along the winding path, hopping across streams and slicing down small trees in his way like some deranged animal. Eventually it was getting to be ridiculous.

"Inuyasha!" Sango shouted. "Inuyasha, slow down!" Even as fit as she was, Sango was beginning to feel an ache in her side and her lungs were burning from the brutal pace they were keeping. She'd still not quite recovered from their last run in with Naraku.

Miroku was struggling, too. "Inuyasha, you need to calm down!" He yelled ahead. "You don't even know where you're going!"

Inuyasha ignored them both, not even glancing back. He just continued to tear down the path, looking up at the sky wildly. Finally, Sango's fatigue and irritation grew too high, and she abandoned trying to keep up. She fell back behind Miroku and eventually stopped altogether, hands braced on her knees as she caught her breath. Miroku quickly realized she was no longer behind him and halted as well.

"Wait, Inuyasha!" He called out to the seemingly rabid half-demon ahead of him. Again, Inuyasha carried on without response. Miroku heaved a sigh, and returned back down the path to meet Sango.

"He's really getting worked up about this," Sango muttered. "It's not like Kagome hasn't gotten herself out of worse situations."

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Miroku said. "But you know Inuyasha. He always loses his head when this sort of thing happens."

"I just don't get it," Sango said.

"What's that?"

"This whole thing. What do those spirits want with Kagome?"

Miroku leaned on his staff and tapped his chin as he pondered, which Sango had noticed he did often. "Do you think it has anything to do with the jewel shards?" Miroku asked.

"How could it?" Sango said, cocking her head. "I thought only demons had any use for the jewel. And so far, nobody who wanted our jewel shards ever had any interest in Kagome herself. Well, except for Koga, but I doubt these spirits want Kagome for a mate."

"Yes, it's certainly a mystery," Miroku admitted, seeming to give up on his thoughts. "In any case, are you alright?"

"Oh... yes, I'm fine," said Sango, a little sheepishly. She didn't like feeling worn out, and certainly would not admit to it. Especially not to Miroku.

Still, Miroku raised an eyebrow at her. "Hmmm.." He mumbled, leaning in close to her face.

"Wh-what?" She stuttered, feeling her cheeks grow hotter.

"Are you sure? It looked for a moment like you may have strained yourself." He said, looking suddenly serious.

"What? N-no, I'm just fine, thank you very much!" Sango declared, turning her back to him with a huff and crossing her arms defiantly.

"Really…" Miroku inched closer to her back. "You know, if you had strained yourself, I would be happy to help relieve some of the stress for you…"

All of a sudden Sango tensed at the feeling of a hand grasping her behind. After a moment of surprise, she whirled around and connected her fist with the side of Miroku's face, sending him crashing onto his back. To be fair, she should have seen that one coming.

"I'm actually much better now, thank you," She said coldly, straightening her kimono. "Come on, you pervert, let's go catch up with that idiot before he does something stupid."

Without waiting for an answer, she began her sprint once more, heading in the direction Inuyasha had disappeared. Miroku groaned pitifully, and hauled himself back up to his feet to follow her. Despite the throbbing in his skull, he cracked a small smile. At least now that Sango was ahead of him, he could enjoy the view.


	4. Chapter 4

Chap 4.

Inuyasha hated to admit it to himself, but it was starting to look like he had made a mistake. Maybe more than one. He was so angry at himself for not realizing sooner what was going on. He should have known that the quiet and the stillness of that place had been unnatural. His gut had been telling him so, but he hadn't listened. Why hadn't he listened? He asked himself over and over as he continued on. Why? Why? Why? But of course he knew the answer.

Kagome had been worried about him. All night she'd been looking up at him with those big, sad eyes of hers; that specific, heartbreaking look that she seemed to reserve for the moments that she was thinking of him. She probably didn't realize he'd noticed, but he had. How could he not? Even the times she smiled at him, when her cheeks were rosey and her laughter filled the air like a summer breeze, it was still there in her eyes. A sadness that was only ever about him.

That was why he'd ignored that warning feeling earlier. Kagome had been making that face again, worrying about him, going out of her way to make sure he was okay. As much as it made him happy, it also hurt in ways he didn't understand. Why didn't that idiot just leave him alone? Why did she always have to do so much for him? In a moment like that, what else was he supposed to do? He'd had to do something to put that smile back on her face, to make that terrible, weary look go away.

Now his weakness for her had put her in danger again. Inuyasha froze in his tracks, then swiped at a nearby boulder in frustration, smashing it to pebbles. What the hell was he supposed to do? He couldn't win. If he followed his instincts, if he just kept listening to those demon parts of himself instead, he could protect her better. He could be stronger, wilder, fiercer. If he could just not care about her, then he could keep her safe. But that was a contradiction, wasn't it? Because when he was like that, he could just as easily hurt her himself. And of course, then he'd have to see her make that face every day, knowing in his heart that he was putting her through more than she deserved to bare. But if he ignored his instincts to make her happy, then things like this happened. He couldn't protect her. Because the part of him that wanted to protect her, to make her happy, to see her smile - that was the human part of him. And the human part wasn't strong enough.

Inuyasha wanted to yell, he wanted to run away, to hit something, to curl into a ball. More than anything, though, he wanted to see Kagome. He wanted her to be safe. Of course, that small inkling of logic in the back of his mind was assuring him she was fine. Kagome was tougher than he gave her credit for sometimes. But she was still just human.

Before Inuyasha knew it, he'd gotten himself turned around. He'd been able to follow Kagome's faint scent this far, but since she was with Kirara going by air, he could only follow the scent so long as they were close enough. They weren't leaving any traceable path on the ground to follow. Now, at last, they had moved beyond the reach of his senses. He'd lost them.

He'd noticed a while back that Sango and Miroku had stopped trying to keep up with him, and he couldn't blame them. Now that he'd finally had to accept he'd lost the trail, he figured the least he could do was go back to find them. They needed to work together if they were going to figure this one out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chap 5.

Kagome wasn't sure exactly how long they'd been flying, but she knew that Kirara couldn't keep it up forever. Already they were beginning to see the first hint of sunrise far off over the hills behind them, and still the terrifying, ghost-filled fog had yet to show any signs of slowing. At some point, Kagome and Shippo had agreed it was best to turn around and try to go back to find the others. If this bizarre mist wasn't going to leave them alone, they might as well try facing it, but it had to be as a team.

Surprisingly enough, Shippo had managed to fall asleep. He was curled up at the nape of Kirara's neck, his tail wrapped around him like a blanket. Though he was tossing and turning as if fending off bad dreams, Kagome was still envious of him. She wanted so badly to rest.

She couldn't sleep now, though. Too much was going through her head. At first her fear had been making her too restless, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt like whatever was happening wasn't exactly something to be afraid of. It felt more like something bad was happening that needed to be fixed, and for some reason Kagome was a part of it.

She fiddled with the jewel fragment she carried, wondering if it had anything to do with why these spirits wanted her. The jewel shards were powerful, but what good would they do for a ghost? And if all they wanted was the jewel, why bother with her? No, it had to be more than that. Kagome was sure there was something deeper to all this, she just couldn't figure it out. Despite the anxiety growing in her chest, she couldn't shake that sad, lonesome feeling that was piercing her heart like frozen daggers. She was starting to realize what she'd have to do, and she didn't like it.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when something far off in the distance caught her eye. In the opposite direction of the rising sun, she spotted a faint, bluish glow. The light emanated from behind the farthest hill. It grew and then faded, flashing and flickering like it was some distance crackling fire, though it's size and color told her otherwise. She squinted, trying to get a better idea of what it could be, but it was impossible to tell. She'd never seen anything like it before.

Almost the same time she noticed the blue light, she noticed something else as well. Below them, the ghost fog was beginning to slow it's pace.

"Shippo!" Kagome yelled, shaking the slumbering kit by the shoulders.

Shippo's eyes shot open and he gaped around wildly, confused and still half asleep. "W-what?! What's going on, w-what is it?" He garbled.

"Look!" Kagome pointed to the ground. "They're finally slowing down!"

"Wow, you're right," Shippo agreed looking down. He rubbed his eyes. "It looks… it looks like they're going away!"

He was right. The pair watched as far below the phantom-like figures at last froze in place, the mist around them settling. Their gazes were still turned skyward, watching as the air-bound trio continued on. Kagome couldn't see an expression on any of their faces, but the feeling of sorrow inside her grew almost unbearable for a moment. She spotted the same boy she had first seen on the riverbank, standing at the very front of the crowd. His pale, blank face betrayed no emotions. Yet in the brief seconds their gazes met, Kagome felt tears in her eyes again.

Then, just as suddenly as they had originally appeared, they were gone. Each figured seemed to fade out of view like a puff of smoke caught in the wind, and not long after the mist dissipated as well, and the land was bare again. Nothing but rolling fields aglow with the first rays of morning sun.

"Where did they go?" Shippo whispered, speaking so quietly it seemed he was afraid his voice would call them back.

"I don't know…" Kagome said. She looked back up at the blue glow behind the hills that were growing steadily closer. "But I have a very bad feeling about this."


	6. Chapter 6

Chap 6.

Sango and Miroku had eventually found a pace they could keep in unison, and had settled into stride beside one another. Miroku was disappointed to have lost his pleasant vantage point, but in the end he still preferred talking to Sango rather than just looking at her, and it was much easier to talk side by side. Miroku also happily noted that Sango looked pretty good regardless of the angle, so he couldn't hardly complain...

"Miroku?" Sango said, jolting him out of his illicit daydreams.

"Yes, Sango?" He replied coolly. "Something on your mind?"

"Yeah, actually," She said. Miroku noticed her forehead was creased as if she was anxious, and he let his face turn serious so she knew he was listening.

"I was just thinking," Sango began. "Maybe this is about the jewel shards, but still about Kagome, too."

"How do you mean?" Miroku asked, tilting his head.

"Well, Kagome and the jewel are connected somehow, right?" Sango said, and Miroku nodded. "So, maybe there's something the jewel can do, or some way Kagome can use it that's impossible for someone else to do."

"I suppose I can follow that logic," Miroku agreed. "Like how she can sense the jewels presence. But what does that have to do with these spirits?"

"Do you remember how Kikyo is able to harvest souls to use to keep herself alive?"

Miroku stopped walking, and Sango stopped as well. "I think you've lost me," Miroku admitted.

Sango sighed. "Hear me out," she urged. "The Kikyo we know was born from a piece of Kagome's soul, right?"

"Well, technically, if Kagome is Kikyo's reincarnation, then Kikyo became Kagome first and then one piece became Kikyo again," Miroku said matter of factly.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Yes, fine, but what I'm saying is that Kikyo and Kagome are connected. And they're similar in a lot of ways regarding what they can do, right?"

"Well, yes."

"Alright," Sango continued. "So if Kikyo has the ability to control souls and spirits like that, it might just be possible that Kagome does, too. Maybe not the same way, but still in some way."

"Hmm…" Miroku looked off in thought. "If that's true, it could explain why these spirits feel a connection to Kagome." He looked back at Sango. "But that still wouldn't explain what exactly is it they want, or what any of it has to do with the jewel shard," he said.

"Well, I think those two parts might be related, too," Sango said. "Lots of times enemies have been able to locate us because of the jewel shards Kagome carries. It's like it has its own energy. It also seems like it leaves traces on the places it's been or the people it's been used by, don't you think? It creates a connection between everything, a connection that can go both ways."

"Ah, I get it," Miroku said. "So what you're saying is that if these spirits had something happen to them that had to do with a jewel shard, it makes sense why they would be drawn to us."

"Yes," Sango nodded. "And once they found us, it was Kagome they were able to make the connection with, both because of her connection to the jewel and whatever abilities she's inherited from Kikyo."

Miroku nodded earnestly. "Yes, I think that makes sense."

Sango seemed relieved at his agreement, but the worry never left her face. Miroku knew why.

"That means someone close by has been using a jewel shard," he said grimly.

"It looks like it," Sango sighed. "And if it's made these spirits this restless, it has to be something pretty bad." Her face reflected her growing worry. There was no doubt her mind was straying to thoughts of her brother, Kohaku, and all the harm Naraku had done to them using the power of the jewel shards. The pain in her eyes made Miroku's chest ache.

He stepped closer to her, and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Sango was surprised, and she looked away to avoid his gaze but didn't pull away.

"We'll figure this out," Miroku reassured her softly. He felt her shoulders relax some, and wished silently that he could do something to make her smile.

"Hey, Sango," he said. She looked up at him, and he nearly laughed out loud at how red her cheeks had gotten.

"What?" She asked curtly.

Miroku beamed his most charming smile. "You look really cute when you blush."

The smack he received left him even more red-faced than Sango, and he grimaced at how much it always stung when she slapped him. Yet as she stuck her nose in the air and stomped away from him, he knew he caught sight of a smirk on the corner of her mouth, and he smiled. It was definitely worth the pain.

Before Sango could get too far ahead, both her and Miroku spotted a red dot in the distance moving in their direction. Before long they could make out the crimson robe and flowing white hair, and they ran to meet Inuyasha at the edge of a small stream.

"Did you find her?" Sango asked when they finally reunited.

Inuyasha slumped to the ground. "No," he growled. "I lost the scent, they've moved too far away."

"Well, it might make you feel better to hear that we don't think the spirits are really trying to hurt Kagome," Miroku said.

Inuyasha's ears perked up a bit. "What are you talking about?" He questioned skeptically, looking back and forth between the two. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Well, we don't know for sure," Sango admitted. "But we have an idea at least."

Before she could say more, they all heard a sound like an explosion or a massive gust of wind, and at the same time one of the hills far to the west erupted into a flurry of blinding blue lights. The glow was bright enough to cast the shadows of hills and trees all across the fields, almost outshining the sunrise on the opposite horizon.

"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha asked, scrambling back to his feet.

"I don't know," Miroku said. "But I highly doubt that this is a coincidence."

"Yeah," Sango nodded. "Restless spirits, creepy fog, and now crazy lights? We should go check it out."

"Wait, what about Kagome and Shippo?" Inuyasha protested.

"We'll explain our theory to you on the way," Sango assured him. "If what I'm guessing is correct, that light might be our best clue to finding them."

Inuyasha groaned in confusion. "I don't know how I feel about all this nonsense," he said irritably. He looked between Sango and Miroku, and the resolute expressions on their faces settled him a bit. "Well," he sighed. "Come on, let's hurry up then!"

"Right!" Sango and Miroku chimed together. Once again the trio was off, running toward the ominous blue light that could be their only answer.


	7. Chapter 7

Chap 7.

Kagome could feel the strange electricity in the air even before the source of the light came into view. Despite Shippo's fearful objections, she had insisted they investigate the blue flashes, knowing in her heart that whatever was there, it had to have something to do with the spirits pursuing her. However, as they grew closer and closer to the last tall hill between them and the light, it seemed that some of her courage was failing.

"Do you feel that?" She asked meekly. Each time the light flashed it seemed like the hairs on her neck stood upright, and there was a gusting, almost watery sound that accompanied it, like that of a storm pushing ocean waves against a rocky shore.

Shippo shivered beside her. "I don't like this, Kagome," he cried. "That's definitely magic, and whatever it is, it's something powerful. Are you sure we can't just turn back and try to find the others?"

Kagome took a deep breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shippo," she said. "I can't explain it, but I just know that those spirits were asking me for something. This might be how I help them."

"Yeah, they were asking for you to help them by giving them your soul to devour!" Shippo yelped, swooning with dramatic exaggeration.

Kagome sighed and patted his fluffy head. "You don't have to come, Shippo," she said. "I'm sure it's going to be dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"But what about you?" Shippo pleaded .

Kagome forced a weak smile. "Don't worry about me," she said, trying to sound confident. "I can take care of myself, you know. Besides, I've got my… my bow!" She cried suddenly, looking all around her. "Oh no, I forgot I don't have my bow!"

"Then that settles it, we have to go back!" Shippo tugged desperately at her sleeve.

Kagome groaned dejectedly. Maybe she really should just go back. What did she think she was going to accomplish, anyway? Maybe this really didn't have anything to do with the spirits, maybe it was a trap, and either way maybe she was about to walk right to her doom.

No, Kagome told herself. She couldn't think like that. Her feelings had always steered her right. Whether it was something to do with the jewel, or just her intuition, it hadn't failed her yet. She couldn't start doubting it now. And more than anything, Kagome knew in her gut that the spirit boy she had seen at the river wanted to tell her something important. The icy, heart wrenching emotion that had gripped her when he was near, that was what he felt. She was sure of it. Whatever had happened to him, and to all the rest of those spirits, it must have been awful. Kagome couldn't walk away without at least trying to help them.

"I can't turn back," She said at last. "Kirara, land here."

Kirara did as she was asked and descended to the bottom of the hill on the side closest to them. Up close, the tree-covered landscape looked much more frightening than from the air. The trees were grey and dead, with gnarled branches that reached out like gruesome fingers. The ground below their feet was also ashy grey and cold. In fact, even the air was frigid, so much so that they could all see their breath come out in white puffs. Though it had been the dawn of a warm summer day only a moment ago, this place seemed cut off from such comforts. It had the aura of a graveyard, and all around them banks of greyish-green fog rolled between the twisted trees, blotting out the light and casting frightening shadows.

"Kagome, I don't like this place," Shippo sobbed.

Kagome could feel her patience waning despite her best efforts. "Shippo, just stay here with Kirara if you're so scared, okay?" She prepared to begin her trek to the other side of the hill, but didn't make it more than a few steps before Shippo protested again.

"Wait!" Shippo yelled, latching onto Kagome's leg. "I know I'm a scaredy cat, but it's more than that, too!"

"What is it then?" Kagome said, shaking Shippo off. "Shippo, I don't have time for this."

But Shippo wouldn't yield, moving in front of her to block her path, a steeled look on his face. Kagome was surprised to see him so defiant. "I told Inuyasha I would look after you!" Shippo said. Though there were tears in his eyes his voice was commanding.

"I can't let you wander off somewhere to get hurt or captured or who knows what else!" He continued on. "Inuyasha would be so mad at me, he'd smack the fur right off my face!"

Kagome couldn't help but to let out an affectionate sigh. "Shippo," she said quietly. "I promise I'll be okay." She tried once more to move past him toward the woods.

"No!" Shippo refused to move, pushing back against her legs to make her stop. "Kagome, you stop right here!" His confidence seemed to be fading into desperation and he hugged her legs even tighter. "You don't take one more step!"

"Shippo, move!" Kagome yelled back, trying in vain to pry him off. The kid had a good grip, she gave him that much.

"No!" He shouted once more. "If I let you leave then what am I supposed to tell… Inuyasha!" Shippo's eyes widened as he stared at something behind her.

Kagome didn't take any notice. "Inuyasha will just have to deal with it." She declared.

"Oh, I will, will I?" A familiar voice sounded over her shoulder.

Kagome whirled around to see a pair of golden eyes staring directly back at her. She was so startled that she gave a yelp and tried to step backwards, forgetting Shippo was still tangled around her legs, and ended up crashing to the ground with a thud.

"You idiot!" Inuyasha roared, towering over her. "Were you seriously about to go wandering off by yourself in a place like this?!"

Kagome shakily rose to her feet, freeing the now slightly squashed Shippo who had ended up sprawled beneath her. She fixed her tousled hair and turned to glare back at Inuyasha. "I had things under control!" She snapped. "I saw this light, and I needed to find out what was going on!"

"You should have come straight back!" Inuyasha retorted. "After what happened back at the camp, we were all really worried about you, you dummy!"

"Well, actually, I think you were the only one who was really worried, Inuyasha," Miroku piped in as he emerged from the trees behind them.

Appearing beside him, Sango nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't really that worried, I knew Kagome would be fine. It was just you, Inuyasha."

"Miroku, Sango!" Kagome called with a smile. "I'm glad you found me!"

Inuyasha looked ready to burst, his cheeks puffed out in fury and his face red as embers.

"I should have left those two behind," he grumbled, turning back towards Kagome. "Anyway, don't you think it's pretty stupid to just go chasing after some mysterious light all by yourself without so much as a weapon?" Inuyasha said, crossing his arms. "You didn't even have your bow, what did you think you were going to do?"  
"I don't know!" Kagome shouted in frustration. "I don't know what in the world is going on, I don't know what any of it means, I just know I need to find out before it drives me crazy!" Her voice cracked a little as her anger formed into tears, but she held them back.

Inuyasha sighed, deflating a little at the sight of Kagome's distress. "Whatever," he said. He eyed her up and down. "Are you all right at least?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Kagome muttered. Almost instinctively she folded her arms across her chest and attempted to cover the blood stains on her sleeves with her hands. Inuyasha was too perceptive for that, though.

"Let me see," He demanded, moving forward to grab her wrists.

"Hey, knock it off, I said I'm fine!" Kagome tried to fight back but it was no use, Inuyasha was too strong. He pried her hands away from her arms and inspected the scratches below the fabric. Kagome's heart sank as she saw his face darken with guilt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"No!" Kagome objected. "I mean, I'm okay, really. They really are just tiny scratches, they don't even hurt." That last part was a bit of a lie, and she could tell he saw through it. Her shoulders slumped.

"It's my fault," he said sullenly.

"No, Inuyasha, you were protecting me-"

"I don't just mean the scratches!" He shouted, startling her. Realizing he'd raised his voice, he sighed and turned his back to her. "I mean this whole thing," he said.

"What?" Kagome asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Every time something like this happens, it's always because of me!" He snapped. "Because I listen to my heart instead of my head, and I let myself get caught up in how I feel about…" He trailed off, and then fell silent.

"Inuyasha, you're not making any sense," Kagome said. She didn't understand what in the world he was talking about. How were the spirits and the lights his fault? He was so frustrating at times like this, why couldn't he just say things more clearly?

"Forget it," Inuyasha said. "Let's just go. Come on, Miroku, Sango, we're leaving."

"Hey, wait a second!" Kagome protested. "We came all this way, we have to figure out what this is all about!"

"We've spent too much damn time on this already," Inuyasha barked back. "Let's just all get the hell out of here and leave these stupid ghosts alone."

"Now, hold on, Inuyasha," Sango scolded him. As she spoke she held her arms out to Kirara who, now small once again, happy jumped into her embrace. "After everything we've been considering, I thought we all agreed that there was probably a jewel shard involved with all of this," Sango went on. In her arms, Kirara gave an affirmative squeak.

Great, Inuyasha thought. Now even the flying kitten was against him. As if just to add to his annoyance, Miroku chimed in as well.

"That's right," Miroku said. "After all the trouble we've gone through to track down the shards, it would be irresponsible to walk away from one now that we're so close."

"See, Inuyasha," Kagome said, sounding victorious. "We all agree we have to see this through. Why is this suddenly such a problem for you?"

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and tried to hold back the anger bubbling up inside him hoping Kagome would shut up, but as usual, she didn't.

"I mean, really, Inuyasha," she went on. "What is the deal?"

Inuyasha was silent, casting his glare at the ground not wanting to look into Kagome's defiant, fiery eyes. He had a weakness for that fire, for that fight in her that always seemed to set him aflame as well, but that wasn't what he wanted right now. He didn't want to be weak. Why was it that everything this stupid girl did threw him off?

Eventually, Inuyasha took a deep, exasperated breath and looked up at the others. They looked on expectantly and Inuyasha groaned out loud, feeling his resolve cracking.

"Alright, alright!" He said at last. "We go get the jewel shard, and then we leave, got it?" Kagome beamed a satisfied smile and nodded.

Surprisingly, it was Sango who suddenly spoke up to object. "Hey, wait a second," she said. She strode over to Kagome and peered at her face. Kagome gave a nervous gulp and turned her face away, causing Sango to narrow her eyes suspiciously.

"What?" Miroku asked.

"Kagome didn't know we thought there was a jewel shard here," Sango said.

"Hey, that's right," Miroku agreed, looking at Kagome in confusion. "Did you guess at it by yourself?" He asked.

"Oh! Um, yeah, lucky guess!" Kagome struggled to sound convincing in her answer, knowing she wasn't doing well.

Inuyasha stepped in beside Miroku and Sango, and even Shippo finally revived enough to join them, all looking skeptically at Kagome.

"I don't know..." Inuyasha said. "If I had to guess, I'd say you have some other motivation for being so eager about this."

Kagome held her ground, knowing that if she told them what she really planned on doing, they might change their minds.

"Why would I care about anything but the jewel shards?" She said. "I guess I could just tell there was one nearby, even without knowing it." She supposed that was technically true, now that she was thinking about it. It was possible she really had been drawn there because of a jewel shard, though she hadn't realized at the time. Of course, she still did have other reasons, but she had to throw them off the scent. Thinking fast, she spun the question back around.

"Now that you mention it, though," She said, trying to mimic their skeptic tones. "How did you guys realize there was a jewel shard?"

"Oh, right," Sango said as if remembering something important. "We need to catch you up on our new theory."

Kagome blinked in surprise. "New theory?" She asked.

"Here," Sango said, leading Kagome to a fallen tree. "Sit down."

Although Kagome was happy she'd successfully avoided any further prodding into her true intentions, she suddenly felt like she was about to receive news she wasn't going to like.

As Sango and Miroku began their explanations, Kagome's hopes actually began to rise little by little as some answers seemed to fall into place. But at the mention Kikyo her heart dropped once more. She continued to listen quietly, doubt growing inside her about what it was all supposed to mean. Could she really have the ability to help those spirits? Or was she once again just a poor imitation of Kikyo?

Her thoughts strayed to Inuyasha, and she secretly stole a glance at the half-demon's face, watching to see his reaction to the mention of his lost lover. His cold expression gave no hints to his real feelings, though.

By the time Sango and Miroku finished, Kagome wasn't sure if she should cry or jump for joy, hopeful at the prospect of hidden abilities but doubtful of her own strength. However, she didn't end up having much time to think it over, because Shippo suddenly jumped into her arms, wailing and pointing at something in the distance.

"K-Kagome!" He yelled. "They're back!"

Everyone looked to where Shippo was pointing. Sure enough, among the dark, looming fog banks a pale mist was forming, creating a stark contrast. The mist rolled closer and closer, and the outlines of figures began to appear as well. As the others began scrambling to prepare for a confrontation, Kagome stayed calm, rising slowly to her feet. As she expected, she soon spotted the spirit boy she had seen before. Just like before, the sunken shadows where his eyes would have been caught her gaze, and the two stared at one another, both knowing what had to happen.

Kagome felt the sensation of cold hands once more, and the air in her lungs seemed to freeze. Her heart throbbed with the now familiar sadness spilling over her, but this time she was not afraid. She took a step forward. She was faintly aware of Inuyasha calling out to her. She couldn't let him stop her this time, though. This time, Kagome moved of her own will. She leapt forward and began a frantic dash directly toward the waiting spirits, ignoring the confused shouts behind her.

At the last second, her fear returned, and for just a fleeting moment she questioned whether or not she should be doing this. But it was too late to change her mind. In one last final bound Kagome was engulfed by the icy haze, and everything went silent. She took a shaky breath as a white-wrapped hand extended out to her from the blinding mist. Without giving herself time for second thoughts, she reached out to grasp it, and everything around her faded from view.


	8. Chapter 8

Chap 8.

The world was white and bare, frigid and soundless, the semblance of a land blanketed by fresh winter snow, though it was not. It was nothing. Everything had passed out of view, and what was left was an empty place, cold as ice and silent as the grave.

Kagome drifted in that emptiness, wondering what had happened. As if as an answer to her question, a lone silhouette appeared in front of her. It was the boy, but this time he was not clad in the white cloth nor did he have the image of an apparition; instead he looked very much alive, draped with a flowing blue robe that hung open at the chest. Kagome at last could see him in detail. He was not much older than her, with long dark hair and shaggy bangs that shrouded his forehead. His eyes were finally visible as well, and Kagome saw they were a shimmering golden brown. They reminded her of Inuyasha's eyes, albeit a few shades darker. In fact, the more Kagome looked at him, the more she realized he resembled Inuyasha. The angles of his face, the way his brows arched and his mouth curved downward to create a permanent frown, even his hair - it was almost uncanny. The most noticeable difference, however, was a mark that ran across his neck and down his chest almost reaching his stomach. From a distance it looked like it could have been a scar, but it was as dark as dried blood. As the boy drew closer, Kagome gasped as she realized it was dried blood, covering not a scar, but a deep, jagged wound. There seemed to many other smaller wounds as well all across his body.

As she stared at him, captivated by the sight, he was looking back at her with a piercing, dark expression. "Kagome," he whispered, his voice echoing of pain and sorrow.

"Yes," Kagome said, her voice resonating all around her. "I'm here, I've come to help you."

The boy continued to watch her with his forlorn yellow eyes. "Kagome," he said again. "You carry with you a terrible thing."

"A terrible thing?" Kagome asked.

"Yes," he said. "A fragment of a cursed jewel, a shard with great power."

"Oh," Kagome said. "Yes, it is a piece of the Sacred Jewel."

"It is a terrible thing," the boy repeated. "It was such a shard as that that cost me my life, and much more."

Kagome's throat felt tight with sadness. "Tell me," she pleaded. "What happened to you? How can I help you?"

"I will tell you," the boy said, looking away from her to gaze at something in the distance, though the distance held only more emptiness. "Look."

The boy pointed far off and as Kagome looked on she saw a swirl of colors forming into a vision, growing until the image was all around her. As it took over her sight, the boys voice still sounded as if whispered in her ear. "Look," he said again. "Look, and see the power of the jewel, and you will see that it truly is a terrible thing."

The next thing Kagome knew, she was watching a scene play out in front of her, as if she was a part of it, though she knew better. She was standing on the edge of a small village, smoke rising from the tiny huts and many people moving by going about their tasks. Among them was the boy, though he looked many years younger.

"My name was Mizuko," the boy's voice whispered. "This was where I grew up. This village, these people, this was my home."

Kagome watched the scene change, and saw the young Mizuko racing through a green forest until he came upon a pool of vibrant blue water. At the edge there stood a woman with long white hair, her eyes dark as midnight.

"This was my mother," Mizuko said to Kagome. "Her name was Yayano. She was a priestess, and she was kind like no other. All the village looked to her for healing and for guidance, and she and I were beloved by them all."

The vision in front of Kagome showed the woman scooping up the small boy in her arms and twirling him around on the green grass at the edge of the pond. They danced and danced until they at last fell side by side, laughing without a care in the world. Kagome thought it was a beautiful scene.

"My mother was skilled with magic," Mizuko whispered again. "And it was beautiful magic. When I was a boy, I thought she could make anything come true, even my most fantastic dreams."

The scene carried on, and Kagome watched in astonishment as the woman waved her hands and sent sparks of blue soaring from her fingertips. Every place a spark landed, a flower burst forth from the earth, and the young Mizuko gathered them all into his arms and held them out to his mother, his face aglow with joy.

"Wow," Kagome gasped. "You both look so happy."

"Yes," Mizuko's voice went on. "For many years my life was wonderful and full of beautiful things. But it did not last."

A flash of pink and an uproarious sound overtook Kagome. She squinted against the blinding light, and realized she was witnessing the shattering of the Sacred Jewel, a scene she knew all too well. She swallowed the bitter taste she knew to be guilt, remember how it was her arrow that had broken it. As she looked on, one of the scattered shards shot across the sky, and Kagome witnessed its flight as it soared far across the land, ending its fall in the pond Mizuko had shown her.

"It ended up here," Kagome said, slowly understanding. "You found it?"

"My mother and I did," Mizuko confirmed. "My mother knew at once what it was. She told me that we must not take it from the pool, but that we were bound to protect it from anyone who came to claim it."

In front of her, Kagome saw Mizuko, now grown, laying beside the pool on a clear starry night. His eyes were shut and there was a calm, serene look upon his face.

"Even with the worry about the shard," Mizuko's voice echoed. "I was happy. I was prepared to do my duty, to face any foe to serve my mother and protect my village. But…"

A shadow fell across the scene. Kagome's stomach turned as she was already guessing what was to come. Her fears were confirmed as she watched the shadows take on the awful shapes of demons. They were deformed and twisted, with bodies like snakes, wings like insects, fangs that widened into sickening grins, and claws that churned the earth to mud as they crept up upon the peaceful, sleeping Mizuko. A fog was forming in the air, and they used it to hide out of sight as they slithered closer and closer.

"No…" Kagome cried pitifully, knowing she could nothing but look on.

The Mizuko in front of her at last took notice of the attackers all around him, and he jumped to his feet. He clenched his teeth and balled his fists, as if it would do him any good. His golden eyes shone in the moonlight, defiant and brave as the beasts around him closed in.

Kagome heard Mizuko's voice again. "I fought," he said. "I knew I would die, but my mother had tasked me with protecting the jewel, and I had to try."

Kagome's eyes filled with tears as she watched the inevitable play out before her. Mizuko had the courage to fight, but his strength was no match against the writhing mass of demons, made more of fangs and claws than flesh. Quickly they crashed upon him, and his cries of pain split the night air. Kagome could hardly bare to look.

A vibrant blast of cobalt blue suddenly pierced the demon horde, blowing them back in all directions and revealing a bleeding, motionless Mizuko laying face down at the edge of the pond. Mizuko's mother, Yayano, ran across the grass toward him. She cast several more bursts of magic until the last of the demons where either destroyed or retreating back into the mist. The white-haired woman rushed to her son's side, but already Kagome knew she had come too late. Yayano's terrible, anguished cry rang out and pierced Kagome's heart, and then everything faded to black.

"That could have been the end of it," Kagome heard Mizuko say. "After my death, my soul prepared for its journey to the afterlife, staying only long enough to wish my mother goodbye. But once again, the jewel shard made everything worse. My mother had never known such sorrow, and it turned her heart dark and cold."

Kagome's sight grew bright once more, and before her was Yayano, her face covered by a black veil. At her feet was an open grave. Two men lifed a body swathed in white cloth and set it down softly into the pit. Before they could cover it up, Yayano dropped to her knees and wailed, reaching for the body of her son.

"Please!" She cried, tears streaming. "Come back, Mizuko!" One of the men tried to pull her back, but she tore away from him, her face contorted in deranged anger.

"I will have him back!" She cried. "I will have my son back!" She held up her hands and cast a blue light upon the men, and within seconds they each shrieked in pain and then fell to the ground.

"No one will stop me," Yayano growled. "I will bring him back. I have all the power I need!"

Kagome was shocked and shaking. She wanted to cry out to stop what she was seeing, but it was useless. Before her eyes, Yayano returned to the pond in the forest, and walked in until the indigo-colored water rose above her head. She reached into the depths until her hand touched a shimmering object at the bottom. She closed her fingers around it and swam back to the surface, where she opened her palm to reveal a small sliver of the Sacred Jewel. Yayano's eyes were emotionless as she lifted the jewel shard to her mouth and swallowed it.

"My mother knew darker magic than I ever realized," Mizuko's voice echoed. "She knew the old spells to breath life back into dead things."

Kagome instantly remembered Kikyo, and how she had been given a body of clay and bones, brought to life by a piece of Kagome's soul. But this new Kikyo was broken and unhinged, clinging to only anger and vengeance. She wasn't really alive at all. Just a ghost made of flesh.

"Your mother couldn't really bring you back," Kagome said. "Could she? Not the way she wanted."

"No," Mizuko confirmed. "But it didn't matter to her. Her soul had become shattered by grief and corrupted by the jewel. And my own soul was so tormented knowing my mother's pain that I became trapped here, cursed to do nothing but watch as she carried out her wicked plans."

Kagome returned her gaze to the scene in front of her, and watched as the Priestess Yayano became the Witch Yayano - her white hair turned grey, as did her once midnight black eyes. Her body withered and hunched over, and it looked as if she had aged a hundred years.

"The spell my mother knew called for three things," Mizuko's voice explained. "She needed great power, which she obtained from the jewel shard. She needed some physical part of the one she wished to return, and for that she used my bones, which she threw into the bottom of the lake. Lastly, she needed a vessel for my soul to return to."

"A vessel?" Kagome asked.

"A shell," Mizuko said. "A living body. But the soul inside it had to be forced out, in order to make room for mine."

"How did she…"

Kagome's question was answered in the worst way she could have imagined. Before her, she saw the Witch Yayano sneaking through the streets of a small village. She crept through the window of one of the huts, and came upon a boy asleep in his bed. Kagome gasped as the implications clicked into place.

"She stole them!" Kagome cried. "No… that's…"

"I know," Mizuko said, and his voice sounded more pained than ever. "Over and over, she would find young boys to take. She would cast out their souls and use the power of the jewel to try to bid my spirit to take the body, to return to her."

"But… you're still here?" Kagome asked. "It didn't work?"

"The spell failed because I refused to return," Mizuko said coldly. "Each boy she killed joined me here in this place, all of them feeling as lost as me. I stayed with them, and prayed that eventually my mother would give up. Every time she failed, I thought maybe she would finally come to her senses. But the power of the jewel holds her captive, and it will not set her free. Now my soul and all the rest are trapped as well. We cannot rest until my mother is saved from the madness of the jewel shard."

Everything around Kagome vanished into white once again, and the ghost of Mizuko stood before her, his amber eyes peering out from beneath his dark bangs.

"Do you see now?" He asked. "Do you see how terrible the jewel is?"

Kagome looked away. It was truly an awful thing that had happened to Mizuko, and even worse the things that Yayano had done. But was the jewel really evil? Certainly Kagome had witnessed demons and humans alike go to great and cruel lengths to use the shards. But the shards themselves only amplified the darkness in those who used them, they didn't create it. Did they?

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," Kagome said at last. "But I think you're wrong. The jewel isn't terrible, it's just powerful. Power in the wrong hands will always lead to bad things. Your mother can't be free of the jewel because she doesn't want to. She doesn't want to accept a life without you."

Mizuko stared at her, his unchanging face giving away no hints as to whether she had angered or offended him.

"Believe what you want," Mizuko said. "I did not bring you here to argue."

"I know," Kagome said. "I understand what you're asking me to do. I will stop Yayano, and I will set you all free. You have my word."

"I can see that your heart is kind, Kagome," Mizuko whispered, and for the first time a small smile appeared on his lips. "I will let you return now. I pray you will keep your promise."

"I will," Kagome assured, placing a hand over her heart.

Mizuko nodded, and then vanished. The emptiness around Kagome filled with shapes and shadows and colors once more until she found herself sitting on the ground back in the middle of the dead forest. The mist and all the spirits were gone. Nearby, Kagome heard her friends' voices. She knew there wasn't any time to waste.


	9. Chapter 9

Chap 9.

Inuyasha had no idea why Kagome had suddenly decided to lose her damn mind, but it seemed like she really had gone off the deep end this time. As soon as the ghostly shroud had returned, the crazy girl had run to it and dove inside before anyone could stop her. Even as fast as Inuyasha was, he'd been so perplexed at what was going on that by the time he thought to chase after her she had already disappeared. It had been an alarming sight, watching Kagome swallowed up by the swirling mist and vanish as if consumed by it. All the others could do afterwards was stare, dumbfounded at what on earth had just happened. Inuyasha was the worst, petrified in place with a look on his face that was something between utter confusion and uncontainable fury.

It was Shippo who was the first to finally speak. "Oh, no!" The tiny fox cried, clutching at his ears in distress. "I knew this was going to happen!"

His friends all turned to look at him. "What are you talking about, Shippo?" Sango asked.

Shippo's big eyes filled up with tears. "Kagome kept talking about how she thought the ghosts were asking her for help," he said. "She said they were showing her how they felt, like they were sad, and Kagome wanted to help them somehow."

"Help them?" Miroku asked. "Exactly how was she planning to do that?"

"Apparently by throwing herself right at them," Sango sighed. "She must have thought she could try talking to them."

Inuyasha stomped toward Shippo with his fangs bared. "You little rodent, why didn't you say something sooner!" He yelled, and Shippo quickly retreated behind Sango, his tail between his legs.

"I was trying to stop her when you showed up!" Shippo said. "She wouldn't listen to me at all! But then you showed up, and it seemed like she was going to listen to you and just find the shard instead. It sounded convincing to me!"

"I guess we should all know by now that Kagome is more stubborn than that," Sango said, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha," Shippo whined sadly.

Inuyasha hardly heard Shippo's continued apologies. He stared away from them all, looking instead at the dense, swirling fog. He noticed that all of the ghostly apparitions had gone; whatever nonsense Kagome was up to, he hoped it would work. His mind was whirling, feeling concerned and frustrated all together. He'd always get himself so worked up over protecting her, and then she'd go and do things like this. It was maddening. Did she not care about her own safety at all?

Inuyasha's face softened as the obviousness of the answer dawned on him. Of course Kagome cared more about helping others than herself. How many times had she put herself at risk to save someone in need, or to save him for that matter? She had been that way since the first day they met. Kagome was just that type of person, someone who was selfless and kind hearted, even if it meant putting herself in danger. As much as Inuyasha hated the latter part, wasn't Kagome's kindness one of the things he admired about her? He also had to admit that for a human she was exceptionally brave in the times when people needed her. It was part of what drove him crazy about her; that she was reckless, but always for a good cause. Did he really want her to change that? His heart was so conflicted. Finally, all he could do was let out a heavy sigh and turn back to the others.

"What should we do?" Sango asked.

"We wait," Inuyasha said, his golden eyes suddenly shimmering with a stern but calm confidence. "I don't like it, but Kagome has to do what she has to do."

His friends shared looks of disbelief at his statement, which irritated him and made his face flush. "What?" He yelled. "I can be reasonable when I want to be!"

"Could have fooled us," Sango mumbled with a roll of her eyes, earning her a fiery glare from Inuyasha which she ignored.

"Why do I keep getting stuck with you guys," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Guys, is it just me, or is the mist starting to go away?" Miroku interrupted, drawing everyone's attention.

"Hey, I think you're right!" Sango gasped.

The white cloud in front of them seemed to be dispersing, and for a moment Inuyasha felt his panic rising, thinking he may be losing Kagome all over again. Then, as the last wisps were blown away to mix back in with the general gloom, Inuyasha saw someone walking out of the haze toward them. His heart nearly did a somersault in his chest when he spotted the green and white uniform and the familiar long black hair.

"Kagome…" He said in awe. She looked like something out of a dream, appearing from the swirls of white as a ray of sunshine would emerge from behind a cloud. Her clothes and hair billowed slowly in the wind. Against the bleak landscape, she practically looked like she was glowing, a splash of color and light among the shadows. Her walnut brown eyes, shining with somber determination, immediately locked with Inuyasha's, and for a moment all they did was stand silently staring at one another.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome finally said. Her voice quivered a bit and she balled her fists at her sides.

"Kagome..." Inuyasha called back, trying to break out of the stupor her return had put him in. "K-Kagome!" He forced his legs to move and he ran to her, not caring at all anymore if the others were watching.

Seeing him running toward her, Kagome did the same. They quickly closed the distance and it seemed as though they might crash right into one another, but in the final few feet they both slowed in their tracks and stopped, leaving the last few steps as a gap between them.

"Inuyasha, I know you're probably angry with me," Kagome began speaking hurriedly. "I'm sorry for running away, but if you'll give me a chance I can explain everythi-"

Inuyasha cut her off by grabbing her by the arm and yanking her to his chest, wrapping her in a tight embrace and burying his face in her hair. Kagome let out a gasp and her eyes went wide, her words coming to a halt. Inuyasha's body was warm against hers, the only relief she'd had all night from the chilly air. Her head was pressed up against his chest, and she could very faintly hear his heart beating. Though she tried to resist, Kagome couldn't help taking a small inhale, savoring his subtle but intoxicating scent.

All too soon, Inuyasha eased his hold and leaned back to look at her face. Though he still looked mildly irate, his gaze was soft, and Kagome gaped back at him. Of all the greetings she'd thought she'd receive, this certainly wasn't one.

"You idiot," Inuyasha said quietly. "Why are you always doing this to me?"

"Well, I…" Kagome struggled for the right response, but Inuyasha just shook his head and groaned.

"Nevermind, you don't have to explain why. I guess I should know the answer." He looked away from her at the ground, his expression becoming troubled.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome wanted to say something better but her tongue didn't seem to be working. Inuyasha looked back up to meet her eyes again, and upon seeing her wide brown eyes staring at him so intensely his cheeks flared into a hot blush.

"Not that I was really worried!" He said, pulling away from her. "It's just a real pain, you know? Chasing you everywhere every time you do something stupid like this!"

Kagome's face fell to a flat, mildly peeved expression. Leave it to this guy to ruin the moment, she thought to herself. "You are seriously clueless, you know that?" She snipped. "Why can't you ever just admit that you worry about me?"

"As if!" Inuyasha growled back. "If anything, I was relieved to finally have some peace and quiet without you!"  
"Is that so?" Kagome scowled, knowing she shouldn't be taking his words to heart, but yet still unable to hold back her annoyance. "Well, then maybe I'm sorry I came back at all!"

As they continued to throw insults back and forth, Sango, Miroku and Shippo all stood by staring incredulously.

"I don't understand those two at all," Shippo said, smacking his palm to his forehead. "They were both so happy to see each other one second, and now they're at each other's throats again!"

"Well, young love will always come with a little immaturity," Miroku mused.

"Hey, I can hear you, you pervy monk!" Inuyasha snapped at them.

"Alright, alright," Sango interjected. "I think we all know we have more important things to deal with right now than petty arguing."

"That's right," Kagome said, growing serious. She moved past Inuyasha to look out into the forest, and saw that over the ridge the distant blue light still flashed. Her eyes reflected the pulsating glow, and the steeled look upon her face was almost frightening. "I know what we have to do."


	10. Chapter 10

Chap 10.

All the others were shocked to hear Kagome relay the tragic tale the ghost Mizuko had told her. Kagome was worried at first that they might have trouble believing her - it was a pretty unbelievable story, after all. By the time she had finished, though, it seemed that they each agreed that all the pieces fit together, and that it was undoubtedly the Witch Yayano they must prepare to face. It also became clear that whatever they were going to do, they had to act fast. It seemed like Yayano was preparing to make another attempt at reviving Mizuko. If they didn't hurry, she could claim another innocent victim.

Unfortunately, not everyone agreed on what their plan should be. Inuyasha, of course, was willing to simply attack Yayano full force the same as they did for all their other foes. The jewel shards were admittedly easier to retrieve once an enemy was slain, since usually their bodies would vanish and leave only the shards behind. But Kagome just didn't feel right about killing Yayano. Mizuko had asked Kagome to stop his mother, yes, but he only wanted her to be free, and to find peace for herself so that he might as well. If they killed her and Yayano died still filled with despair and possessed by the shard's power, then even her death might not be enough to save Mizuko and the other spirits. It might even end up trapping them in their unrestful limbo forever. Kagome couldn't let that happen. She tried to explain this reasoning to Inuyasha, but as with most things, they ended up at odds over it.

"I don't get why you're so concerned about some dead guy," Inuyasha said as they stood around arguing. "All we should be worrying about it getting the jewel shard back at any cost."

"I gave Mizuko my word!" Kagome said. She was standing with her fists clenched and her shoulders tense, like an angry dog raising its hackles. "We can't just go charging in and risk condemning him and the others to be restless ghosts forever!"

"That's not our problem," Inuyasha said coldly.

"How can you be so heartless, Inuyasha?" Kagome yelled.

Inuyasha stuck his nose in the air and shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like it's our fault his mom's a crazy witch." He said.

"Ugh, don't you get it!" Kagome shouted. "It is my fault!"

Inuyasha paused in surprise. "What are you talking about?" He asked, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow.

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from him. "It was because of me…" She whispered. Inuyasha could hear her voice breaking with repressed tears. "It was my arrow that shattered the jewel. That's how the shard got here in the first place. If Mizuko hadn't been protecting the shard, he'd still be alive. None of this would have happened!"

Inuyasha grew very quiet for a minute, staring off into the depths of the forest. The others looked on at him and Kagome, unsure of what to say to either one. The silence held enough tension that it could have been plucked like a bow string. Eventually, Inuyasha looked back at Kagome, who was refusing to meet his eyes.

"Okay, look," He said, walking over to stand in front of her. "We'll do what we can to get the jewel shard without killing her, alright? So stop feeling sorry for yourself and let's go."

Kagome's face brightened and she smiled weakly. "Inuyasha… thank you."

Inuyasha nodded without a word, his expression indifferent, though the apples of his cheeks had a hint of scarlet to them.

"Alright then, I guess it looks like we have a witch to go fight," Sango chimed. She had already made the change into her black and pink jumpsuit and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. Kirara was beside her, grown to full size once more. "I think we should focus on distraction." Sango continued. "That'll probably be the best approach."

"I agree," Miroku spoke from where he was seated behind Sango. "I think Sango and Inuyasha should try to draw the witch's attention, and once Kagome can see where the shard is, I'll protect her while she tries to remove it."

Miroku cast his gaze over at Kagome. "You don't happen to have any ideas about how you're going to remove it, do you?" He asked.

"Well, I have a theory," Kagome said. "But I won't know for sure what to do until I see exactly where the jewel is in Yayano's body."

"This feels a lot like winging it," Sighed Shippo, who was sitting atop Kirara's back. He rested his chin glumly on the top of the fire-cats head. "I hope we can do it."

"We can," Kagome assured him. She picked up her bow and quiver and slung them over her shoulder along with her bag. She felt immediately better having them back, and her heart seemed to find some renewed courage. She walked over to Inuyasha, and though she didn't say anything he immediately helped her climb atop his back. It was almost second nature now for them to travel that way when they were in a hurry, and Kagome was glad about it then. She felt safer when she was close to him.

"Alright, then," Inuyasha said. "Let's go!"

All together the group was off, with Inuyasha and Kagome leaping through the trees while the others rode on Kirara close behind. The landscape grew even darker and drearier as they crested the top of the high ridge, and once they began their descent down the other side they could see blue flickering far at the bottom. The sound was now growing as well, and with each roaring gust of wind and burst of light, Kagome's chest constricted ever more. She clutched tighter onto Inuyasha, and hoped with all her heart that they weren't too late.


	11. Chapter 11

Chap 11.

As Kagome suspected, once the group drew close enough to the bottom of the hill they could see a clearing among the skeletal trees where at the center a pool of dark indigo water stood out against the grey, ashen earth. It was the only spot of color on the whole landscape, yet even the glistening waters still seemed darker and much more ominous than in the memories Mizuko had shown her. At that time the pond had been a vibrant teal that nearly glowed - now it seemed shadowed as if it had deepened into an abyss. Kagome had seen many times through their travels all the ways that evil could taint a place, but a lump still grew in her throat to see how the once lovely blue pond and lush green forest had been so terribly ruined. The others seemed equally uncomfortable at the sight of the foreboding landscape.

The pulsating light had ceased not long after they had crested the hill, and it didn't go unnoticed by the group. Knowing they had probably already been spotted, and also having not ever cared much for creating a surprise attack, the gang continued on all the way until they reached the clearing. They stopped at its closest edge, and all of them scanned the murky shadows for signs of movement, but there were none.

Inuyasha sniffed at the air, and let out a low growl. "Someone's here," he said, glaring with narrowed eyes. "It's faint, but I can smell it."

"I can feel the jewel shard, too," Kagome said, unhooking her bow from her shoulder to hold it at the ready in her hands.

"Can you tell where it is?" Miroku asked as he moved slowly forward with his staff held out in front of him as if it were a sword. Sango was at his side, following his cautious movements.

"It's somewhere close," Kagome said. "But... it's strange. I can't tell exactly where, I just know it's here." Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Shippo was still atop Kirara's back, shaking like a leaf.

"Shippo, are you alright?" She asked over her shoulder.

Shippo's ears shot up at her voice, but quickly flattened back down against his head. "Y-yeah, I'm okay. J-just taking my t-time..." Kagome could hear the fear in his words, and she sighed.

"Why don't you just stay with Kirara for now, okay Shippo?" She said. She felt bad for having dragged him out here even though he was terrified. In fact, she felt awful about the whole thing. It was her fault that they were in this situation. She didn't want to ask her friends to risk their lives, but she needed to help Mizuko. His and his mother's pain, that was her fault, too. The more she thought about it, the more she felt sick with guilt. How much of everything that had happened had been because of her? Her mistakes, her naivety - was this what it lead to? Maybe if she hadn't been so weak or so clueless, all the bad things that happened to them all so far could have been avoided.

"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha's voice broke through her darkening thoughts.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Are you ready?"

Kagome looked away from him out across the pond, feeling the faint but unmistakable energy of the jewel shard. She knitted her brows together, and forced herself to concentrate. Her friends needed her now. She could feel bad later.

"Yes," she said at last. "Let's go."

As planned, Kagome and Miroku moved off to stealthily circle around the edges of the clearing. Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Sango marched straight through the middle. They soon reached the bank of the pool, both wrinkling their noses at the stench of pond scum and putrid mud. Up close, the water looked less blue and more black, swirling with debris and patches of greyish green algae. For a while they both waited silently, but as usual, Inuyasha could not maintain his patience for long.

"Well, where the hell is she?" He snarled, looking around. "Hey, Witch! Come on out, we know you're there!"

"Inuyasha, calm down," Sango chided.

"What?" He pouted. "This is stupid, are we just going to wait around here all day for this hag?"

In the shadows, Kagome and Miroku both sighed and shook their heads, though they couldn't hardly act surprised.

"Is he seriously a child?" Kagome grumbled.

"Well, at least he's succeeding at being a distraction," Miroku replied. "Kagome, can you sense the shard any stronger now?"

Kagome closed her eyes and felt for a sense of where the shard may be. "Hold on…" she whispered. She tried to push aside the bizarre murkiness that seemed to be clouding her senses. She knew the jewel was here. She focused as hard as she could. Suddenly, she felt a pulse of power like a heartbeat that seemed to radiate with pink light, and she opened her eyes with a gasp. "Yes, I can feel it!" She said. "But it's…"

Before she could get the words out, the pond suddenly erupted with a roar. A blast of water shot upwards into the air, which sent a shower raining down upon Inuyasha and Sango. They both gave surprised shouts and reached their hands up to shields their faces from the downpour. Within the geyser-like spout of water rising up out of the pond, a blue light began to glow. Yet almost as quickly as it had begun, it stopped, and the waters fell back into the pool leaving only choppy ripples. Within moments, the surface was a still as glass once more.

Inuyasha and Sango exchanged confused glances, when they realized the blue light was still emanating dimly from beneath the center of the pond. As they watched, it moved slowly closer to the shore, and within the glow they could see the form of a shadow. At last, something broke the surface. It was the top of a person's head, and a pair of grey, clouded eyes stared out from just above the water line. Everyone felt their breath catch at the sight. The figure continued to inch closer, rising painfully slowly out of the mirror-like water. It began to look less like a person and more like a corpse, with wrinkled skin that was deathly pale. As it surfaced, they could make out long, scraggly locks of grey hair, and a gaping mouth full of rotted teeth. Eventually, it stood with it's torso in full view, and they could see that the skin clung tightly to it's emaciated limbs as if it were leather that had shriveled up in the sun. Its back was hunched sickeningly, and it was wrapped in a tattered kimono that may once have been red, but was so stained with moisture and muck it looked more like the color of brown sludge. All around the figure the eerie light continued to shine.

As the gang all stared horrified at the figure before them, it was Kagome who managed to find her voice first, though she could only force out a frightened whisper.

"Yayano…" She gasped.

The decrepit witch tilted her head with a jerky movement. "What… do you… want?" She croaked in a voice they might as well have been the voice of death itself.

Inuyasha finally seemed to regain his composure, and he quickly snarled showing his teeth. He pulled the thin, scratched Tetsusaiga from its sheath, and the weapon came to life with a burst a red, turning to the formidable blade it truly was. He pointed it toward the witch. "Hey, you old crone!" Inuyasha shouted. "We know what you've been doing! You better come out right now!"

Yayano looked at him with a blank expression. "Go… away..." She moaned. "Leave… me alone."

"No!" This time it was Sango who shouted. She gripped her weapon tightly. "Not until you give us what we came for!"

"Fools…" The witch muttered. "I have… no time for… pests like you." Every few words she had to pause for a breath, like speaking was difficult for her. Each inhale rattled violently in her chest and every exhale sent trickles of saliva dripping down her chin. She was truly a vile thing to behold. Kagome could hardly believe she had once been the beautiful, white-haired woman she'd seen in Mizuko's vision.

"If you think we're going to let you carry on with your little ritual," Inuyasha yelled, lifting the Tetsusaiga above his head. "Then you better think again!"

He swung the sword at the edge of the pond, which blasted a wall of water back toward Yayano. The witch let out a hissing shriek as she was sent careen backwards, ending up sprawled on the opposite bank. She lay for a moment letting out hacking coughs as she tried to force the water out of her lungs. She managed to drag herself back to her feet while heaving heavy, furious breaths, and stood with legs braced apart, her face twisted in anger.

"You… little… mutt!" Yayano cried out, curling back her cracked lips to bare her teeth with a snarl. Her dull grey eyes ignited with anger. "You… you won't stop me!"

It seemed that the tepid, almost dazed state she had been in was melting away as her fury grew, her voice rising with new strength. She straightened her back somewhat to stand a little taller, and her spine popped and cracked in protest. She lifted her bone-thin arms, and then gave another shriek. As she did, a burst of blue shot from her fingertips, skimming across the water with incredible speed. It struck Inuyasha in his chest and sent him skidding backwards, though he maintained his footing by digging his sword into the ground in front of him.

Though the blast left Inuyasha panting lightly, he looked up with a dark smirk. "Now this is more like it," he said. He yanked the Tetsusaiga out of the earth and slung it over his shoulder. "Let's see what you've got, witch!"

Yayano glared ferociously at him, and cast several more burst of her blue magic, though Inuyasha was able to dodge them all this time. Sango joined the skirmish, throwing her weapon across the pond at the witch. It looked like it would make a direct hit, but at the last second Yayano knocked it back with a single swipe of her hand. It seemed she wasn't so frail as she looked after all.

Kagome, who had been staring agape at the sight before them, was shaken out of her trance by the feeling of Miroku's hand on her shoulder.

"Kagome," he whispered. "Quickly, let's keep going while she's distracted. We need to get closer."

Kagome nodded and the pair continued to skirt along the edges of the clearing, trying to stay out of view. As the fight continued, the clearing continued to pulse with flashes of light, and Kagome could hear Inuyasha shouting taunts at Yayano, each followed by another burst of magic. It was a chaotic scene, but it ended up being exactly the distraction they needed. Kagome and Miroku were at last able to reach the opposite edge of the clearing, and hid themselves behind a cluster of brambles. They peered out at Yayano, who had her back to them.

"Kagome, can you see where the shard is in her body?" Miroku whispered.

Kagome glared hard at the witch, and watched as a general pink glow emitted from her back, eventually becoming more defined until Kagome could see a sliver of intense magenta right in the center of Yayano's chest.

"There!" Kagome said, pointing. "It's in her chest. I looks like it's right where her heart is…" She trailed off, her excitement dying as she realized this wasn't good news.

Miroku knew it, too. He stroked his chin for a moment. "Hmm…" He muttered. "That means we probably can't take it out by force without killing her." He looked up at Kagome expectantly.

"What?" Kagome asked nervously.

"You said you had an idea," Miroku said. "What do you think? Do you know a way to get it out?"

"Well…" Kagome cast a doubtful glance back at Yayano. "Maybe…"

Nearby, they suddenly heard a low groan, and they both whipped around in surprise at the sound.

"What was that?" Miroku asked, his facing growing serious as he raised his staff defensively.

"It came from behind that tree, I think," Kagome whispered back, inching closer to the nearby tree trunk.

As she peered around it, she gasped loudly. Laying in the dust was a boy, his hands bound in front of him with a length of fraying cord. He seemed unconscious, though his face was twisted with discomfort. Kagome could see scrapes and bruises on his face and arms, as though he'd been dragged along the ground. He was breathing heavily, and letting out soft moans.

Miroku quickly moved to see what Kagome had found, and was equally surprised at the sight. "Who is that?" He asked, concerned but clearly confused.

"He must be Yayano's newest catch," Kagome said sadly, reaching out to stroke the boy's forehead lightly. He looked younger than her by a few years. Looking at him, Kagome realized that this boy did not resembled Mizuko in the slightest. He was too short, and a bit stocky, with a rounder face and brown hair knotted on top of his head. It seemed strange, Kagome thought. Why Yayano would choose this boy as a host for her son's spirit?

Kagome's heart sank as she guessed at the answer. Yayano didn't care about what they looked like. Maybe she had once, but it seemed now that any boy she could get her hands on would do. The witch had become so obsessed with bringing Mizuko back that there was no reason left to her actions at all.

"We can't leave him here," Miroku said, moving forward to lift the boys head off the ground. As he did, the boy groaned again, and his eyes fluttered open.

"He's awake!" Kagome said. She moved a little closer to the boy and softened her voice. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"Who… what? I don't…" The boy seemed confused and not fully awake.

"Do you know your name?" Miroku asked.

The boy nodded weakly. "I'm… Hisato…" He managed to force out. "The witch…"

"Did she hurt you?" Kagome asked, grasping the boys hand lightly.

Hisato nodded again, squeezing his eyes shut. "I don't know what she did… it felt like… I was being torn out of myself… "

"How did you get away?" Miroku asked.

"Something… distracted her." Hisato groaned out. "I was just barely able to drag myself away. I'm so… so tired…" He trembled for a moment, and then went limp once again, slipping back into unconsciousness.

Kagome and Miroku exchanged sad, knowing looks. Yayano must have been trying to force out Hisato's soul. It must take a few attempts to succeed, and they were lucky enough to interrupt her before she had finished.

"We have to get him out of here," Kagome said. "Miroku, you'll have to take him."

"What?" Miroku asked. "What about you?"

"I can't carry him," She said bluntly. She sighed and looked over her shoulder back at the battle that was still raging behind them. "Besides, I have to stay and try to retrieve the shard."

"But how are you going to do that?" Miroku asked, sounding more and more exasperated. He was beginning to sympathize with some of Inuyasha's frustration over Kagome's reckless hardheadedness. "Are you sure you have a plan that can work?"

Kagome tried to force on a brave face. "I can handle myself," she said. "Just get Hisato somewhere safe. Please, Miroku."

Miroku saw the cracks in Kagome's facade, knowing she was frightened. But he also knew she was stubborn. He let out a sigh. "Alright, but I'll be back to help you as soon as I can."

Kagome nodded, and stood up with her bow in hand. She watched as Miroku swung Hisato over his shoulder and began to move through the trees toward where they had come from. She let out a shaky breath and steeled herself the best she could. It was true that she had an idea of what she could do, but it was a long shot. If it didn't work, they might be forced to kill Yayano after all. Kagome knew she couldn't let that happen. She had to act now.

Yet even before she could focus her attention back at the battle, she heard the sound of someone shouting her name. Was that...Inuyasha? Before she could fully process what was happening, she saw a blinding blast of blue, then heard the unmistakable sound of Inuyasha crying out in pain. Kagome rushed out into the open in time to see Inuyasha crash to the ground with a sickened thud. The Witch Yayano loomed over him, her hands burning with blue flames.

"Now, you little mutt…" The witch croaked with a wicked, rotten grin. "You're mine!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chap 12.

Inuyasha had known as soon he'd felt the first blast of Yayano's magic that she was more powerful than she looked. Although he'd been able to recover quickly, he'd felt like he been struck by lightning; his skin felt hot and his whole body was buzzing with a strange, electrical aftershock that made his ears rings and left a metallic taste in his mouth like blood.

It left him breathless but invigorated by adrenaline, and he was unable to hold back his smirk. "Now this is more like it," he said smugly. He lifted the Tetsusaiga up to sling it over his shoulder. "Let's see what you've got, witch!"

Inuyasha rushed forward and swung his sword again, but this time the witch moved quicker, sending out another volley of blue magic. Inuyasha leapt from right to left, tumbling out of the way of each one, though a few passed a little too close for comfort.

Sango had joined him by then, tossing her throwing weapon with well-trained accuracy at Yayano. Yet the witch held up a seemingly frail arm and battered the spinning weapon away as if it were a pestering fly, sending it skidding back to land at Sango's feet. Sango and Inuyasha shared a momentarily look of disbelief, shocked that this corpse-like thing had some strength in her after all.

They didn't have much time to be confused over it though, because Yayano gave a hiss and quickly went in for another attack. This time, rather than small bursts of magic, she sent out long bolts that sparked as if they really were lightning. The crackling blue tendrils shot out towards Inuyasha and Sango, who were luckily both able to roll to either side to safety. The ground where they had been standing only a moment before was blown apart, sending chunks of dirt flying in a cloud of ashen dust. The scorched earth smoldered and smelled of sulfur.

"Inuyasha, be careful," Sango called out as she ran around the edge of the pond toward the witch.

"Take your own advice," Inuyasha grunted as he mimicked her, running the opposite direction. Inuyasha knew what she was trying to do - split up so that they couldn't both be targeted at once. Whatever else he could say about Sango, he had to admit her fighting tactics were impressively smart.

Yayano watched the two running toward her from either side, and seemed panicked for a moment, glancing back and forth between them as if having trouble deciding which to attack. As they drew close enough, Inuyasha lashed out with the Tetsusaiga at the ground to send another shock wave, while Sango took another shot with her weapon. It looked as though both attacks would hit the witch at once, but at the last second the hag leapt into the air with startling speed and hovered there out of reach. Sango's weapon passed through the spot where Yayano had been standing and continued on to collide with Inuyasha's face, sending the surprised half-demon crashing to his back. Meanwhile, the blast from Inuyasha's sword also continued on, and Sango just barely managed to dive to the side to avoid a direct hit. The edge of the wave still sent her tumbling, and she ended up on her backside as well, panting in frustration.

"Inuyasha!" She growled. "Maybe you should give it a rest with the sword!"

Inuyasha rose to his feet, clutching the growing bump on his head. "Well, excuse me!" He shouted. "Maybe you should be more careful where you're throw-"

Inuyasha was interrupted by a burst of blue from above that crashed into his chest, once again hurling him backward, though this time he was able to land more or less on his feet. Unfortunately, his sword was knocked from his grasp and skittered across the ground to lay at the edge of the clearing. It flickered red, then the large curving blade diminished into its small, dormant form once again. Meanwhile, Yayano floated back to the ground, cackling in satisfaction.

"Dammit," Inuyasha cursed, dragging himself to his feet again. "Alright, now I'm angry!"

"Come…" The witch snarled. "Face your doom, fools!"

"I don't think so lady," Inuyasha said as he bounded at her. He gave a final leap and slashed with his razor sharp claws. "Iron Reaver!" He roared. His blow fell only inches short of Yayano's face, shearing off a few wayward strands of her hair. For a fleeting moment they were face to face, close enough to feel one another's breath, then the witch retreated back and glared with her cold, cloudy eyes.

Inuyasha and the witch stood silently, both breathing heavily from exertion and waiting for the other's next move. Inuyasha knew he needed to hold himself back like he had promised Kagome, but he wasn't sure how long he could do that for. Yayano definitely wasn't pulling any of her punches. As the two continued to stare at one another, Inuyasha saw her expression slowly grow strange. She appeared lost looking at his face, and her anger seemed to dissipate into a look of surprise, or even recognition. She took a slow step forward and pointed a shaky finger at him.

"You…" She muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Your face…it's the same..."

"What?" Inuyasha asked, confused at the sudden change of tone.

"You're…" Yayano took another step forward. As she looked upon Inuyasha's face, she took note of his long hair, his golden eyes, the curve of his jaw and the glare set in his brow. She gaped at him, and the glints of tears formed at the corner of her eyes. "Mizuko…" She whispered, almost too quietly to hear.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Inuyasha snapped, crouching back into a defensive stance. "Don't go getting distracted in the middle of a fight!"

He was about to go in for another swipe at her, but his eyes caught sight of movement in his peripheral. He saw a glimpse of Kagome and Miroku creeping through the bushes not far from him, and for a moment was lost in the relief of seeing that Kagome was safe. She was going to make it.

In his distraction, Inuyasha almost didn't realize that a blue light had begun to glow all around him. He looked down to see that he had become encircled by a ring of blue fire that seemed to swirl like a whirlwind. Before he could move, the flames grew high enough to be at level with his shoulders, the winds whipping by his face so quickly it stole his breath away.

"What the…" He gasped as he felt himself being forced down on his knees. The air in his lungs was forced out and he coughed trying to catch his breath. What was happening?

In front of him, Yayano spoke again. "It's you…" She cackled. "You're perfect."

"Inuyasha, are you alright?" Sango had jumped back to her feet and was rushing toward her friend. She tried to reach for her weapon, which had landed not far from her, but before she could retrieve it, she felt a searing pain in her leg. She yelped and looked down to see a tendril of Yayano's blue lightning snaking around her ankle, searing her skin. In an instant, it cracked like a whip, sending Sango flying through the air until she landed with a violent splash in the center of the pond.

"Stay out of this!" The witch snapped. "Or else you die, little brat."

Sango resurfaced quickly, coughing and gasping. Her leg burned as if on fire, with no relief given even by the icy cold water that was making the rest of her limbs grow stiff. She could only barely force herself to make the swim to the nearest shore, where she lay shaking as her leg throbbed. Through her pain-clouded vision, she could see Yayano advancing toward Inuyasha, who was now also laying on the ground, clutching at his chest and groaning.

The witch stood over him, raising her arms high as her hands held glowing orbs of blue magic. "You will be the perfect vessel," Yayano said. "I know this time... my Mizuko will return."

Before she could make another move, there was a flash of fur and fire, and before the witch knew it she found herself with her back on ground at the edge of the pond. The ring of flame around Inuyasha died out, and as he inhaled deeply to fill his lungs with much needed air, he looked up to see Kirara standing between him and the fallen Yayano, hackles raised high. Shippo, who had been riding atop Kirara's back, jumped down and rushed to Inuyasha's side.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" He cried, grasping at the half-demon's red robes.

Inuyasha coughed a few more times, but then forced himself to his feet. "Yeah," he groaned, though it wasn't very convincing. "She's stronger than she looks, I'll give her that."

He looked down at Shippo, and cracked a tiny smile. "I thought you were too scared to fight?"

Shippo stuck out his lip defiantly and crossed his arms. "I'm not a complete coward!" He snapped, but then looked away sheepishly. "Also... Kirara decided to come help before I could argue…"

"Yeah, you're not a coward at all," Inuyasha said with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, I'm just a kid!" Shippo whined. "Can you blame me!"

Their banter was interrupted by the sound of groans nearby, and they both remembered that Sango was still laying at the water's edge. Kirara had already gone to her side, nuzzling at her face with concerned yips. Inuyasha and Shippo quickly ran to her as well.

"Hey, Sango!" Inuyasha called as he bent down to inspect her injured leg. "Are you alright, can you walk?"

He realized it was a wasted question as soon as he saw the wound. The fabric of Sango's jumpsuit had been scorched right down to her skin, and there was a jagged stripe around her ankle that was flared red with burnt, blackened edges. Her whole leg looked like it was swelling, and from the expression on her face the pain must have been intense.

"I'll be fine," Sango breathed, trying to hold back the cracking in her voice. "I can still fight."

"No, stupid, you can't," Inuyasha said sternly. He turned to Shippo. "You and Kirara need to take Sango away from here."

"Wait!" Sango cried, trying to sit up. "You can't fight on your own!"

"Watch me," Inuyasha said as he stood up.

Before his friends could protest any further, he turned back to face the witch, who was at last recovering from Kirara's blow. She was rising back to her feet, and her eyes were now aglow with the same blue that flared at her fingertips. She was furious now for sure.

"Get out of here you guys!" Inuyasha called over his shoulder. His eyes darted to the spot behind Yayano where the Tetsusaiga had come to rest. He wondered if perhaps he could make a dash for it. Moving as quickly as he could, and dove forward towards his sword. A flash of blue passed inches above his head, but he managed to tumble beneath it unscathed. He heard Yayano's frustrated cries as more bolts of blue zapped passed him, missing by only a few merciful inches.

Inuyasha continued his desperate scramble until finally he was within arms reach of his sword. He had to make one last dive away from an incoming blast, but as he tumbled forward he felt his hand connect with the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, and he grasped onto it for dear life. By the time he had rolled all the way over and pushed himself back onto his feet, his sword was back firmly in his grip and the blade had once more awakened to its true formidable size.

Smirking with renewed confidence, he stood facing the witch and brandished his sword out in front of him like a trophy. Yayano snarled back at him, but didn't make another move, waiting to see what he would do. As they once again faced off with one another, Inuyasha saw Shippo and Sango making their escape on Kirara. He couldn't help the small pang of worry he felt as they disappeared into the trees.

Something else caught Inuyasha's eye in that same moment, not far behind the witch - a sudden movement and a flash of white and green. He paused and glanced over in time to see Kagome again, this time standing up behind a cluster of dead bushes. He also noticed Miroku moving off in the other directing carry something on his back. What were they doing? Miroku wasn't just going to leave Kagome by herself, was he? That wasn't part of the plan! They were supposed to be working as a team and now suddenly everyone was leaving!

Inuyasha felt his cheeks growing hot with confusion and frustration, and before he could stop himself he was yelling. "Kagome!" He cried. He wasn't really sure what he was trying to do, but calling out to her was the only thing he could think of. Why was that the only thing his brain could manage to say?

Before he had time to ponder that question, pain exploded around his midsection. A lasso of blue lightning gripped him around his torso, pinning his arms to his sides causing him to once again lose his grip on the Tetsusaiga. He felt a forceful tug, and didn't even have time to brace himself before he felt his body arc through the air, flung at the end of the magical rope. He saw a glimpse of the sky pass over him, then the ground was rushing up to meet him and in an instant his face made contact with the dusty earth, which was as solid and unforgiving as if it had frozen over. He cried out, both from shock and pain, and felt as if all the energy had been knocked clean out of him. He lay unmoving, trying to force his eyes to stay open against the strengthening grip of unconsciousness. As darkness crept in from all sides of his vision, he saw Yayano leaning over him, her face curled into a grisly smile. He also saw someone else emerging from somewhere in the background, and could only just make out the details of their face; dark hair twirling in the wind, wide brown eyes, lips moving to form a word he knew but didn't really hear. One last thought passed through his head as he slipped beneath into that black slumber, the only thing his brain ever seemed capable of thinking at times like that. It echoed in the growing stillness of his mind like a fading whisper. _Kagome…_


	13. Chapter 13

Chap 13.

" _Inuyasha!_ " The word tore out of Kagome's mouth before she could hold it back, and she was almost startled at the shrill, undeniably desperate tone of her voice. Under other circumstances, she might feel a little embarrassed about that, but right now there was hardly the time. She felt like she was running on autopilot. Her legs were moving now on their own, carrying her towards where Inuyasha was laying. He was entangled by some kind of glowing blue bindings that writhed as if they were alive, and his body was still except for small, labored breaths. Kagome's heart felt like it was dropping down to her toes. Something in the back of her mind was aware that running directly toward the completely unhinged, jewel-shard-wielding witch was probably not the best idea in the world, but that thought was drown out by the ringing in her ears and the panic in her chest. All she could think of was reaching Inuyasha.

Her mad dash ended about as well as one would expect; before Kagome was even within arms reach of Inuyasha, Yayano had already spotted her. Unwilling to give up her quarry, the witch swiped Kagome aside with one of her thin but astonishingly powerful arms, and Kagome found herself crashing back into the treeline with a shriek. She only came to a stop when her shoulders made contact with a large tree trunk, the impact knocking the wind out of her, and it took a moment of frantic gasping to catch her breath again. With a groan, she hauled herself shakily back up to her feet, knowing already that her back would be sporting some nasty bruises in the morning. She could also feel the sting of cuts and scrapes all across her body from the brambles she had been thrown through. A hot trickle down her jawline told her that she was bleeding as well, but she ignored it. She was too fixated on returning to help Inuyasha to worry about herself.

She was about to begin making her way back to the glow of the clearing when after a few steps her feet hit a mound in the dirt, almost sending her falling again in her lingering dizziness. She looked down to see what had tripped her, and her eyes widened. At her feet was a small rise in the ground, about as wide as her shoulders and as long as a person was tall. The topsoil of the little hill was caked solid as though it had been abandoned to the elements for some time, but it still rose up enough to be distinguished from the ground around it. Kagome's head was swimming, but she still knew what that shape meant. She looked around slowly, dreading what she already knew she would find.

More rectangular heaps, all the same size. Some so worn down they were almost no longer noticeable, but others where the soil on top was still dark and moist as if it had been piled on only yesterday. They stretched on all through the dead undergrowth of the forest, scattered between trees haphazardly, more than Kagome could count. She looked back down at the one at her feet, and saw that something was sticking up from the ground at the corner of it. She knelt wearily to inspect it more closely, and saw what looked to be the corner of a piece of cloth colored a dingy grey though she knew it would once have been white. The rest of the cloth vanished into the earth, beneath the mound of dirt.

Kagome's stomach churned. She thought of Mizuko, and then off all the other spirits that she had seen with him. How many had their been? Twenty? Fifty? More still than that? One for each of the little piles of dirt, beneath each of which was undoubtedly a similar white cloth, wrapped around discarded bones. Unmarked graves, left to be forgotten here among the shadows. As her thoughts slowly connected the pieces, she felt an odd moisture building up on her cheeks and thought for a moment she might have accidentally started crying. But as she reached up to wipe it away, she realized it wasn't from tears. The air around her was suddenly thick, condensation building up on her skin and tiny droplets forming in her hair and eyelashes. Puzzled, Kagome looked around to see a heavy mist had settle all around her, so quickly she'd not even noticed it.

"Kagome..." A voice called to her from the haze, making her jump. Maybe she really had hit her head too hard, she thought. What was happening now?

As she looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice, a shadow formed from the swirling fog in front of her, the figure leaning forward until she could see a pair of familiar golden brown eyes peering out at her from beneath jet black bangs.

"M-Mizuko?" She asked, her voice quivering with something between fear and relief. The ghostly boy had his face only a few inches from hers, and though his image was solid enough the edges of him seemed fluid and out of focus. Once again he was clothed in the loose blue robe, the front hanging open enough that Kagome could see up close the dreadful gash on his chest that cut across pallid skin and… remarkably well defined muscle. She finally had to tear her gaze away, though she wasn't sure if it was due to nausea or embarrassment.

"You and your friends fight well," Mizuko said, pulling away to a more reasonable distance. "I know that you are very close now to defeating my mother." The second part he said with just a hint of regret, and Kagome's heart dropped as she remember the severity of their current situation.

"We will save her, too," She said, sounding more meek than she meant to. She looked around at the graveyard around her, and felt her conviction returning. "We will set you all free, I know we will!"

"I believe in you, Kagome," Mizuko said with a nod. "You're the only one who can do this." As he finished speaking, a rush of wind blew past them, and Kagome gasped at the frigid air.

"It's cold here, isn't it?" The phantom boy said, offering out his pale hand to her, which she reluctantly grasped. As he helped her to her feet, she realized he was right. The air was suddenly chilled even more than it had already been, and Kagome shivered as goosebumps formed all across her body. An ominous silence had also fallen all around them, and coupled with the oppressive mist it made Kagome feel as though she was suffocating, like she was being smothered inside her own white death shroud, waiting to be lowered into a shallow grave. She shivered again, more violently this time.

"Come here," Mizuko said, startling her by wrapping one of his arms firmly around her shoulders. She glanced up at him questioningly, and was met by an unwavering stare from those shimmering amber eyes that seemed to still have some life left in them yet. She was surprised to find that his body radiated a weak warmth, and she was baffled as to how that could be possible since Mizuko shouldn't hardly be as solid as a puff of smoke. But his form against hers was firm and sturdy, and as she gawked back at him he let a gentle smile sneak across his face.

"I know of your plan," Mizuko said. "I will help you."

Kagome's mouth fell open for a moment as she struggled to find a reply to his sudden remark. "W-what? How…" She felt ridiculous for being left so speechless, but the flutter in her chest only worsened as Mizuko's smile softened even more.

"You're more powerful than you realize, Kagome. I feel the resolve of your heart, and the connection between us will be what lets us win this fight." Despite her nerves, his cool, even tone put her at ease somewhat, and she cracked a bashful smile back at him.

"Thank you, Mizuko. If you can help us, then maybe we really do have a chance."

Mizuko nodded. "I know you need to go. I shouldn't be keeping you here," He spoke just above a whisper now. "But… it's so strange…"

"W-what is?" Kagome asked, feeling her cheeks growing steadily hotter as she became aware of just how closely their bodies were fitted together. Though she'd been freezing only a moment earlier she felt like she was catching fire now.

Mizuko moved to put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her to face him fully. "I feel… warm here with you, Kagome. It's been so long," he said. "Lost here in this torment, wanting only to be at peace, for it all to finally end. Then we found you, and it was the first time I have felt hope in longer than I can remember." His breathy voice was deep, and just a bit rough, like the far off rumble of a waterfall.

Kagome smiled, trying to ignore the blush on her face. "It's all going to be alright, Mizuko," she said, reaching up across her chest to place a hand over his on her shoulder. "We're going to set you free, I promise."

"Kagome…" Mizuko murmured, gazing at her through half-lidded eyes with a look that spoke of some sudden deep longing. The shift in his tone took Kagome by surprise, and she wondered what he could be thinking. She was so engrossed looking up at his face, once again marveling at just how similar his features were to Inuyasha. As the thought of the half-demon crossed her mind, she felt something snapping back awake inside of her. She… she had to leave. Yes, she had to go right now. She had to get back to Inuyasha.

Unaware of her renewing panic, Mizuko reached up with one of his colorless, almost translucent hands and brushed aside a lock of her hair, then trailed a single slim finger down the length of her neck and across the curve of her collarbone. Kagome just about leapt out of her skin at the touch. It wasn't unpleasant exactly, but it was definitely not at all the gesture she had expected to receive from a dead man in a moment like that.

The shock of it seemed to at last bring Kagome fully back to her senses, and she took a forceful step backwards out of Mizuko's grasp. "I need to go!" She said, taking a gulp of breath she hadn't realized she'd needed so badly. "I… I need to finish this now, and I have to save my friends, too. I'm… I'm sorry."

Mizuko made no move to stop her, and his face remained calm, like he understood. Without waiting for a reply, Kagome turned away from the spectral man and bounded back through the trees, awkwardly side stepping a few more of the burial mounds as she went. The mist faded out behind her, and she thought she heard Mizuko's voice echo after her, but she didn't hear the words.

What in the world had just happened? Kagome shook her head hard trying to dislodge the cobwebs that seemed to be cluttering her thoughts all of a sudden. It was like for a moment there she had been pulled back into that in-between place where she had met Mizuko before, where everything seemed to slow down and fade away. How long had she been there? And why had Mizuko been acting so strangely? Kagome felt her poor, battered brain scrambling to sort it all out, but soon she broke free from the treeline once more, and all worries about Mizuko fell away in an instant.

Inuyasha was still in Yayano's clutches, wound tightly in her tendrils of neon lightning, but now he was being held aloft over the very center of the pond. Yayano herself stood at the nearest bank, speaking in a low voice with words Kagome couldn't understand. Once again, Kagome felt the urge to rush into action blindly, but this time she restrained herself. She had to use her head for this, or all of them were in trouble.

Creeping as quietly as she could, Kagome moved forward enough to once again spot the jewel shard in Yayano's chest, and her mind raced trying to pull together the fragments of the plan she had only half worked out. She hoped Mizuko really would be able to help. If this was going to work, she had to wait for exactly the right time, she knew that much at least.

Interrupting Kagome's thoughts, Yayano's mumbling began to rise. Her words grew louder and more pronounced until it became clear she was chanting some sort of spell. As she did so, the bindings that held Inuyasha began to glow even more brightly, so much that the blue was overtaken by a pure white radiance that forced Kagome to cover her eyes. This definitely wasn't good.

Over the stormy sound of magic rushing through the air, a piercing shout cut through the chaos and straight to Kagome's heart. Inuyasha, though seemingly still unconscious, began thrashing wildly against the binds that held him, groaning and crying as the light around him grew brighter still.

Kagome had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming out his name, knowing she couldn't intervene yet. She watched in mute horror as small wisps began to flutter out of his open mouth, like vaporous strands of cobwebs. She had witnessed the same thing many times, whenever they saw the person she dreaded the most. Kikyo, accompanied by her demon minions, always had the lost or stolen souls of the dead with them. Small, sad swirls of colorless fog that were all that remained of people's lives.

It was Inuyasha's soul Kagome now saw. The light around him was drawing it out, but only weak threads seemed to be emerging, as if the rest of it was clinging desperately to some anchor deep within him. In front of Kagome, Yayano began to shake and finally her chanting stopped, replaced by gasping and quite curses. The blazing glare receded back to soft, pulsating blue, and Inuyasha slowly grew quiet and still once more as the cloud of his soul quickly retreated back into his chest.

Kagome exhaled a relieved breath but her heart was still pounding violently, remembering what the other boy, Hisato had said; he had felt like he was being ripped out of himself. Kagome felt her throat tighten in sorrow imagining what Inuyasha would be feeling under the effects of Yayano's spell. But Inuyasha was strong, she tried to remind herself. If he could just hold out long enough for her to go through with her plan, everything would be okay. It had to be.

As the witch bent over, gasping for breath, Kagome to the opportunity to sneak closer, concealing herself behind a small boulder almost directly behind Yayano. She had to press herself flat to the ground to stay completely hidden, and she wiggled her way forward on her belly to peer around the edge of the rock. She mustered all her focus once more in order to allow herself to sense the jewel shard, which filled her mind's eye with a familiar pink glow. Now that she was so near, Kagome could see that the jewel shard wasn't as deep in the witch's chest as she'd feared. It illuminated the area around Yayano's sternum, dead center, in about the same spot a pendant would have hung. As Kagome continued to watch, Yayano hacked out a raspy cough, and Kagome gasped as she saw the jewel shard shake violently and lift slightly, then settle back again as Yayano caught her breath once more.

"It's at the bottom of her throat…" Kagome exclaimed quietly to herself, feeling her hope rekindle. Maybe her plan really could work, she thought. She just needed the right distraction.

"Mizuko," She whispered. "Can you hear me?"

 _Yes._

Kagome's eyes widened upon hearing the disembodied voice in her mind, but it was exactly what she had been hoping for.

"You need to draw your mother's attention, can you do that?" She said, feeling a bit strange at talking to the air.

 _I think so. I have an idea, but you might not like it._

"Huh?" Kagome said, scrunching her eyebrows together. "What are you going to do?"

 _Will you trust me?_

Kagome paused and looked out at Yayano, who was finally standing upright and beginning her erie chants again. As the white light began to spread down her magical tendrils towards Inuyasha once more, Kagome bit her lip to hold back her cries.

"Yes," She said at last. "Please, just help me."

 _Thank you, Kagome. When the time is right, do what you must._

Kagome shifted her position to curl her legs beneath her in a low crouch so that she could pull one of the Sacred Arrows from her quiver. "How will I know when the time is right?" She asked as she knocked the arrow into place in her bow.

 _You will know._

Kagome could have rolled her eyes back into her head. She hated vague answers. But she supposed she had no choice now except to be ready for anything and hope that Mizuko would make it obvious to her soon.

Now that she was sitting up, she wasn't fully hidden behind the boulder anymore, but it didn't seem like it would matter. Yayano was too preoccupied, her chants once again reaching their peak, and Inuyasha thrashed and shouted as the white glow enveloped him. Kagome gritted her teeth and waited, all the while feeling as though her heart was cracking in half.

As the ghostly curls of Inuyasha's soul began to trickle from his mouth, Yayano stopped her chant to whisper to herself. "Come, my son," She said in a voice that sounded broken and desperate. "Come back to me, Mizuko…"

Above the pond, the blinding light suddenly pulsed to a new intensity, unbearably bright, and then in a momentous flash, ceased altogether, plunging the clearing into darkness. Kagome had to blink hard to get her eyes to adjust to the sudden dimness, and from the exasperated mumbling coming from Yayano's direction, she guessed the witch had not intended for this to happen.

As Kagome managed to get her vision back in check, she realized that there was still a faint shine coming from somewhere nearby. She stood up a little higher to see that although the magical bindings around Inuyasha had vanished, he was still floating just above the water in the middle of the pool. His whole body was emitting a subtle glow that plused from white to blue and then back to white again. Kagome didn't know what was going on, but she was happy that at least Inuyasha no longer seemed in pain, and looked to still be breathing.

"What… what is happening…" Yayano muttered as she stepped closer to the edge of the water.

As Kagome and the witch both continued to gaze out at Inuyasha with confusion, he began to lift higher. His body slowly turned and his top half lifted so that he was in a standing position, his robes billowing around him, making him seem caught in a flurry of wind. His silvery hair flowed and seemed to float around his face as though he was underwater. A few pale strands crossed in front of his face, concealing it from view for a moment. When at last they blew aside again, Inuyasha was looking down at them with eyes open wide. Both Kagome and Yayano gasped in unison.

Kagome had spent longer than she'd ever admit staring at Inuyasha's eyes. Most times it was when they were arguing, with their faces shoved up close as they shouted and bickered. During those times his eyes were fierce and piercing, their yellow irises sparking with the passion of his stubbornness and anger. Yet other times, they were startlingly soft, like when they would walk side by side in comfortable silence, or speak in hushed voices at night when the others were asleep. Those times, his eyes seemed to shine like golden firelight, aglow with some sweet, unspoken things that Kagome longed to discover. In their time together, Kagome had come to know those eyes very well, memorizing the way their color shifted in the fading light of dusk or how his pupils grew large when he was embarrassed. She could have recognised them even in the dark with only the reflection of the moonlight as their illumination.

So as she stood staring at Inuyasha held aloft above the dark blue waters of the pond, her throat constricted and her breath caught in her chest, because the instant their eyes met she knew one thing for sure: Those were not Inuyasha's eyes. That was not Inuyasha.


	14. Chapter 14

Chap 14.

For the first time all night, Miroku found himself feeling true fear as he trudged through the brown, dead brambles with the young Hisato draped over his shoulders. He wasn't that concerned about the boy, it looked like he would recover given a little rest. He'd not even really been that worried over leaving Kagome alone, since he trusted that she would at least use some common sense and hopefully have a plan to fix this whole mess. Miroku, in general, was just not a worrisome sort of person. Yet as he'd been making his way back around the edge of the clearing, he'd stolen a glance out at the fighting unfolding before him, and his heart had dropped to the ground when he realized that Inuyasha was in the clutches of Yayano's magic. Undoubtedly he feared for his half-demon friend, but worse still, Sango was now nowhere to be seen.

Where was she? That was the only thought pounding in his skull now as he pushed his way through another stand of spindly, bare bushes, the budding terror in his heart worsening with every step. Kirara was not around either, as far as he could tell, so he was praying that they were together somewhere safe. Still, he couldn't shake the knowledge in his heart that Sango would never leave Inuyasha to fight alone. Not unless she was injured, and injured badly.

He paused a moment to lean his shoulder against a tree and catch his breath. Hisato wasn't big by any means, but it was still no easy feat trudging through the forest carrying another person, especially an unconscious one. He might as well have been carrying a corpse. The worried voice in the back of Miroku's head was tempting him to just leave the boy behind for now, since he'd be able to find Sango faster if he was unburdened. He wouldn't ever do that, though. Now was no time to be losing his head.

Miroku pushed himself off the tree to begin his trek once more, his goal being to reach the far side of the clearing. He'd planned to find a safe spot to hide Hisato, and then return to help Kagome. But he couldn't return to the fight before finding Sango and making sure she was alright. For all he knew, she was injured and unconscious somewhere out in the dark forest, all alone…

Miroku gave his head a violent shake, trying to dislodge those grim imaginings. She was fine, he told himself. She. Was. Fine. Sango had survived some of the worst things imaginable, she would survive this fight as well.

Remembering that day their group met Sango sent a pang of sadness through Miroku's heart. He recalled the anger in her eyes as they fought, the determination that had shone through her agony and weariness, more ferocious than Miroku had ever seen before. She'd been almost on the brink of death then, and still would not yield to her pain. The scar she now bore on her back was a reminder of that anguish, and a reminder to Miroku as well of just how tenacious Sango was. Though the memories of how broken and sorrowful Sango had been when they met caused his heart to ache, he felt his confidence in her renewed. Yes, Sango would be okay. He just needed to find her.

Miroku had moved deeper into the woods to put some distance between himself and the fighting, not wanting to become the victim of some wayward blast of lightning or swipe of Inuyasha's sword (assuming Inuyasha had managed to get himself free, which Miroku hoped was true). Though blue light still pulsed through the trees, it was fainter now, and he prayed he was nearing the far edge. As he stood a moment to get his bearings, he suddenly heard a strange, high pitched sound, completely out of place among the silence of the forest. Some kind of animal call? He listened more closely, and hope swelled in his chest as he began to recognize the small, intermittent squeaks. Could it be?

The squeaking continued until it seemed to be almost upon them, and then, in a flurry of yellow fluff, Kirara in her kitten-like form burst from the underbrush. She saw Miroku and instantly began running in frantic circles about his feet, her squeaks and cries sounding desperate.

"Kirara!" Miroku exclaimed, trying not to lose his footing as the tiny fire-cat weaved between his legs in figure eights. "What's going on, where's Sango?"

Upon hearing Sango's name, Kirara paused in her dizzying course, then began to yelp with even greater intensity, bounding forward into the bushes then returning quickly, repeating the movement two or three times before Miuko understood what she was doing.

"You know where she is, don't you?" He said. He stared into the darkness of the forest ahead of him and pushed his eyebrows into a determined glare. "Come on, Kirara, take me to her!"

Sango sat with her back against a fallen log, her injured leg splayed out in front of her. Shippo had done his best to remove the burnt fabric that had seared itself to her skin, which had not been an enjoyable experience for either of them, to say the least. Sango was able to grit her teeth and push through the pain, but the poor little fox demon had looked to be on the edge of fainting the entire time. He'd gotten through it though, and had even managed to get the wound wrapped up in some of the white gauze bandages that Kagome had given them for emergencies. There was no bleeding with burns, so at least they didn't have to worry about that. Sango knew that Shippo probably wouldn't have been able to stomach the task if there had been blood, seeing how pale and sick he had looked after just cleaning the wound. Aside from the burn itself, her whole leg had become blotchy red and swollen, and she could feel her pulse throbbing through it with every beat of her heart.

Sango exhaled a weary sigh and looked down at Shippo. After his harrowing ordeal doctoring her leg, he had curled up beside her and promptly fallen asleep. She forgot sometimes that he was still very much a child. She reached over and ran a hand affectionately through the fur on his head and scratched behind one of his ears, drawing out a happy sigh from the slumbering kit. Sango smiled weakly, her thoughts straying dangerously close to memories of her brother, Kohaku, and of all the times she had stroked his hair just like that to help him fall asleep. She quickly forced the memories away. She focused back on the pain of her burn to distract herself, which wasn't difficult to do considering her whole leg felt like it was covered in hot embers.

Sango bit her lip and breathed deeply through her nose, feeling trapped between the suffering of her heart and the agony of her wound, both inescapable. For a moment, a deep sense of loneliness engulfed her, and she felt hot tears threatening to spill over from her eyes. She cursed quietly to herself, hating how helpless she was. Why was she always so helpless? Why? A tear escaped to roll down her cheek, and then another, until finally she was choking out tiny, frustrated sobs as little rivulets flowed down her face and dripped off her jaw.

There was a rustle from the woods nearby, and out of the corner of her eye Sango spotted a tan-colored blur that must have been Kirara returning from where ever she'd run off to. Unwilling to tear her gaze away from where her fists where tightly balled in her lap, Sango continued her faint weeping, ignoring the yelps Kirara made as she scampered around in the bushes. _Helpless. Weak._ The words reverberated through her mind and stung her like nettles. _Why was she always so..._

"Sango!" A voice she recognized called out her name from nearby, and she pulled her gaze up just as a familiar face appeared beside her, brow creased with worry and forehead dripping with sweat as steely blue eyes locked with her own.

"Miroku?" Sango choked out, forgetting for a moment the tears on her face and the throbbing of her leg and the sorrow in her chest. Miroku's eyes were filled with an intensity she hadn't expected. The blue-grey of his irises seemed nearly black in that moment, shadowed by a seriousness Sango rarely ever saw in him.

"What happened? Are you alright? Why are you out here?" He began speaking frantically, waking Shippo who gave a little gasp of surprise before jumping up to hug Miroku around the neck. The monk ignored his new Shippo necklace and continued to gaze over Sango intently, his eyes finally landing on her bandaged leg.

"Dammit, you are hurt," he said, his face still scrunched up in that unfamiliar glare. "I thought so, when I realized you weren't fighting with Inuyasha anymore."

Sango stared at him as he inspected her leg, unable to force out any words between her surprise at his sudden arrival and the sobs that were still choking up her throat, which she was now desperately trying to swallow back down.

Miroku looked up at her again, and seemed to notice her tears for the first time. He opened his mouth like he was about to speak, but didn't get the chance.

"Ah! Miroku, who is that?!" Shippo suddenly gasped, pointing at the person draped across Miroku's shoulders. "Is.. is he dead?!"

Miroku sighed as he set the boy down on the ground. After assuring Shippo that the boy was still very much alive, he quickly relayed the story of how he and Kagome had found Hisato, and in turn how Kirara had appeared to lead them back. As he spoke, Sango regained her composure, trying to wipe the moisture from her eyes as subtly as she could. She'd been sure Miroku had seen her crying, yet now he was giving no indication at all if he truly had, scarcely looking her in the eyes except for a glance or two in between sentences. He asked no questions aside from the severity of her injury and what had happened during the fight. Once Sango had explained everything and assured him she would be fine, Miroku gave a curt nod and stood up to look around.

Sango eyed him carefully, waiting to see if he tried to shoot her any sideways glances or say anything further, but he didn't. He just maintained that serious expression that looked so out of place on his face. Sango didn't like it all. He seemed almost angry about something. Was he upset that she'd left Inuyasha behind? Was he irritated at now having to look after her?

"Shippo," Miroku said abruptly, turning to look down at the little fox.

"Yeah?" Shippo asked.

"Do you think you can go with Kirara back to the village where we had been staying before? They might have a healer, and Sango is going to need one as soon as possible. Inuyasha and Kagome too, for all we know." Miroku's tone was steady, calm.

"Yeah... I can do that," Shippo said wearily. "Are you sure you two will be alright?"

"Yes, just be swift, alright?"

"Right," Shippo said with a nod. "Come on, Kirara, let's go!"

Kirara bounded forward, bursting to her full size in a sputter of flames. Shippo hopped aboard her back once more, and in an instant the two were off, vanishing into the foggy haze above the trees.

"You shouldn't be sending him off alone," Sango muttered at Miroku, who had his back to her. "He's still young, you know."

Suddenly, Miroku's whole body tensed, his fists clenched at his sides as his shoulders went rigid.

"Miroku? Are you okay?" She asked, surprised by his sudden swing in mood.

Miroku bent his head toward the ground and said something in a voice so low Sango couldn't hear it.

"W-what?" She asked, leaning forward a bit.

Miroku sighed shakily, the tension releasing from his body as he slowly spun around to face her, his face still staring down at his feet. "I don't understand," he said, still just barely audible.

Sango cocked her head to one side. "You don't understand what?" She asked.

"I don't understand _you_ , Sango," Miroku said, at last lifting his face to look at her directly. His cheeks were red and his eyes were watering. "How can you still be worried about Shippo when you're in this state? You can't even walk and you're still concerned about everyone else?" His voice was on the verge of breaking.

Sango inhaled and tried to speak, but nothing came out. She just stared back at him, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

"I just… I don't understand…" Miroku said, looking away from her again, squeezing his eyes shut. "Out of all of us, you deserve this the least. After everything… and still… you still..." He let out an exasperated sigh, unable to come up with the right words.

"Miroku..." Sango found her voice finally, but she couldn't manage to say anything else, her own mind feeling like it was jumbled and incoherent.

Miroku took a few steps forward, then let his staff fall from his hands as he dropped to his knees in front of her, looking down at his lap. "I'm so sorry, Sango," he whispered. "I wish… that I could keep these things from happening to you."

Suddenly Sango saw reflected all the helplessness she was feeling. The strain in his voice, the slump of his shoulders, the glisten of sadness in his eyes - all of it was mirroring the doubt in her own heart. Without thinking, she reached out to grasp Miroku's hand, pushing her fingers between his to entwine them.

Startled, Miroku's eyes shot up to look at her. For a moment there was a tense silence, and then he let out a heavy breath, giving her hand a little squeeze. "You're stronger than I'll ever be, Sango," he said, gazing at her sadly. "You're incredible."

Without thinking, Sango gave a rueful laugh. "I'm not as strong as you think," she said, unable to hold back the bitterness in her voice. "Most of the time I just get through by pretending I'm fine, by ignoring the pain… and the fear."

Miroku nodded thoughtfully. "We're alike in that regard, I think." He looked down at the hand she was holding, which happened to be the one that was wrapped to conceal his wind tunnel.

Sango squeezed a little tighter. "Does it still scare you?" She asked, running her thumb across his, tracing the edges of the wrapping and eyeing the string of blue prayer beads that hung from his wrist.

"Yes," Miroku said without hesitation. "Every single day."

Sango felt her face scrunching into a scowl. "When we defeat Naraku, hopefully all this will be over for both of us," she said, spitting out the demon's name like a curse.

Surprisingly, Miroku let out a tiny chuckle, then placed his free hand over top of hers so that he was gripping it from both sides, encasing it with warmth. "That's what I mean," he said, looking up at her with his light-hearted smile at last. "You're still always ready to fight, and to protect. I've always liked that about you."

Sango raised an eyebrow at him and smiled back, feeling her cheeks getting hot enough to rival the burn in her leg. "You're really something else, Miroku," she said. "I don't know how you can always take these serious things and turn them into something to smile about. That's an impressive talent in itself, you know."

"Did you expect anything less than talent from such an esteemed monk?" Miroku said, tossing his head back and sticking his nose in the air in a farce of pompousness, though he snuck her a tiny wink. Under normal circumstance it would have been irritating, but Sango could only laugh.

"Jeez, do you have to ruin every moment with a bad line like that?" She said with a giggle.

"Of course not! I'm skilled at ruining moments in a variety of ways," he laughed.

"Oh right, like being a pervert?" Sango said, giving him a mischievous grin.

"That's my favorite way to ruin a moment!" Miroku said, leaning forward a bit so that his face was closer to hers, and Sango had no retreat since her back was still pressed up against the tree as far back as she could go. She gazed up at him, unsure what to expect as he moved close enough that she could see the little bloom of red across the apples of his cheeks.

The troublesome spark in his eyes faded for a moment, and he smiled a sweeter smile than she'd been expecting. "But, maybe just this once," he whispered. "I can behave myself. You are injured after all, I don't want you to exacerbate your wounds by hitting me too hard!"

Sango wasn't sure if she should laugh or chide him or be embarrassed. Her momentary turmoil was interrupted as a flash a bluish white light suddenly erupted from nearby, presumably from the direction of the clearing, enveloping everything around them. It was positively blinding, causing the trees to cast long black shadows that cut high contrasting streaks through the now otherwise glaringly bright landscape. The world looked like it had gone almost completely black and white. Sango and Miroku both held up their free hands to cover their eyes, and then heard the distant echoes of someone crying out in pain. After a few more moments, the light faded, leaving the two of them in darkness so abruptly that neither of them could see past their noses until their eyes had finally adjusted back to the dim light. When they could see one another again, they exchanged looks of alarm.

"What was that?" Sango asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think it was good," Miroku said. "Did you hear that yelling?

"Yeah, it almost sounded like-"

"Inuyasha," Miroku finished. "I need to go back and help them, I promised Kagome I would. It seems like they're in trouble."

The young monk moved to get to his feet, pulling his hand out of Sango's grasp as he stood. She instantly felt the cold air steal the warmth from her fingers, and she wished silently that it could have lasted just a moment longer.

"Sango, will you be alright here by yourself until Shippo returns?" Miroku asked, looking back down at her.

"Yes!" Sango said, maybe a little too defensively. She turned her face away to hide her sheepish pout. "I mean, yeah, I'll be fine."

Miroku smiled and picked up his staff. "Alright, just take it easy and don't move too much. Hisato shouldn't wake up anytime soon, but if he does, make sure he stays here and waits too. I will be back as soon as I can."

Sango nodded silently, and watched as Miroku began to walk away. He stopped just before the edge of the bushes, and looked over his shoulder at her. "By the way, Sango," he said with a cheeky grin. "Even with a crispy leg, I still think you look stunning! Your body has only gotten _hotter_!"

Miroku ducked quickly to avoid the large stone that Sango promptly hurled at him, chuckling as he vanished into the forest once more. He called a last goodbye between his laughter, and then he was gone.

Sango stared after him, her face pinched irately though she couldn't manage to hold it that way for long. Miroku was such an idiot, she thought, but she couldn't really bring herself to be angry about it. Even though her leg was aching (and her dignity was a little wounded to boot), she felt as though a weight was off her shoulders. Miroku was a pain, no two ways about that. Yet he had managed to chase her loneliness away with only a few kind words and a smile. Sango leaned back against the tree trunk, staring up at the spindly branches above. She sighed loudly, feeling that dangerous little twitch of her heart as she thought of Miroku's soft gaze and the way his hands had felt wrapped around hers. Yes, Miroku was an idiot. And so was she.


	15. Chapter 15

Chap 15.

The gears in Kagome's mind were turning furiously, trying to understand what she was seeing. Slowly, she began to feel a sense a familiarity as she looked up at Inuyasha. Nothing about him looked any different except for those dark amber eyes. Amber - not golden. They were strange and out of place on his face, but they weren't actually the eyes of a stranger either.

From beneath dark eyelashes, Inuyasha gazed expressionlessly down at her, blinking slowly a few times as if in a daze. Eventually, he shifted his eyes to look upon the witch Yayano, who was too busy staring up at him to have yet noticed Kagome emerging from the shadows behind her. The two stared at one another for some time, the silence between them crackling with an electrical emotion that Kagome couldn't quite understand.

At last, the witch seemed to put together the pieces of the situation and heaved a shaky, broken breath like she was on the verge of tears. "Mizuko…" She whispered.

Inuyasha's brow twitched with the flicker of sorrow, but he quickly composed himself, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. As he did, the light around him dimmed again to the faintest glow. His body descended so that his toes touched the surface of the pond, disturbing the glassy water with expanding ripples.

Inuyasha opened his eyes once more, then began to walk toward the shore. Though his feet grazed the water with each step, they never dipped below the surface and he moved with the grace of a phantom through the still air.

A phantom… Yes, Kagome was understanding now at last. She caught Inuyasha's coppery gaze once more, and the realization swept over her like a tidal wave overturning a ship in a tempest.

"No…" She choked out, not caring now if she was discovered. "What… Mizuko what have you done?"

Yayano interrupted her, stepping forward into the dark water up to her ankles. "Mizuko!" She shouted. "My son! At last, you've come back to me!" Inuyasha looked at the grey hag and began to move toward her.

Kagome couldn't make her voice come out as anything but little gasps, struggling to understand. Had Mizuko lied to her? Had it all been a trick? She felt panic taking over her as she feared the worst, but the echo of Mizuko's voice rang in her ears. _Trust me._

Yes, Kagome thought. She had to trust him. This was the plan, to use their power together. She realized she could feel it now, the subtle tug in her chest that she had felt a few times before. It was the pulse of power within herself. Mizuko was drawing strength from her. They were connected now. She had to trust him. Kagome tried to find courage in herself as she continued to look on at the pair in front of her.

"Mother," Inuyasha spoke at last, in a voice as foreign to his body as his eyes. It was Mizuko's voice, breathy and hoarse just as Kagome remembered from the woods. She could almost feel it reverberate through her whole body.

"My son," Yayano gasped. "I've been trying for so long, I've been trying to bring you back."

"I know," said Mizuko. "I've seen what you have done."

"You will forgive me, won't you?" Yayano cried. "I tried to save you… I tried. I'm so sorry…"

Mizuko sighed. "My death was not the sin that needs forgiving, mother." He continued to move forward until they were almost within arms reach.

Yayano looked frantic now. She hurriedly moved forward, pushing herself into the murky water up to her knees so that she could reach forward to clutch at the red robes that fluttered around Mizuko's legs. She looked so small and frail beside him.

"Mizuko, you took so long. I made you so many vessels, I tried so many times," the witch sobbed, digging her black nails into the crimson fabric. "I tried and tried but you never came." Yayano buried her face into Mizuko's legs and she slid down to her knees, letting the water rise up around her chest. "Why?"

"Mother…" Mizuko whispered. "I didn't return because I did not wish to."

"What?" Yayano raised her eyes to look up at her son's face. "But I… I made each vessel just for you. I gave you perfect bodies, I ripped out every soul so that you could live again. I did everything as I should have, for you!"

Mizuko looked away from his mother with his face betraying the beginnings of anger. "Stop it…" He whispered, clenching his fists at his side.

But Yayano seemed not to have heard him. She gasped as if finding her own answer, and dragged herself back to her feet, still clutching tightly to Mizuko. "It was the vessels, wasn't it?" She said, her eyes widening. "Yes… they were… they weren't enough. They weren't right! I was so desperate, I thought I could use any body, any vessel I could find."

"No… stop…" Mizuko began to move backwards, trying to free himself from the witches gnarled fingers.

"Yes!" Yayano shouted, deaf to his words. "I am a fool! Why would you have wanted those bodies? Those boys that would never hold a candle to what you were! You wanted something better!"

"No!" Mizuko shouted, at last tearing the robes from his mother's hold, though she seemed not to hardly notice. She stood up in the water, her dingy kimono soaked through once again. She threw her head back and laughed an awful, choked screech of a laugh that sounded like a dying animal.

"My son, I understand!" She cried happily, her eyes now bulging with madness, completely lost of their senses. "It was this boy that you needed, I knew it when I saw him! So much like you… he was what you truly desired. A body that held power and strength and vigor enough for my wonderful Mizuko!"

" _Enough_!" Mizuko roared, and with a wave of his hand a violent wind rushed through the clearing, sending waves of blue water splashing against his mother until she was forced backwards, stumbling out of the water and onto the shore where she fell into the mud with a gasp.

Kagome, who had been watching the scene unfold from the shore, was also bombarded by the sudden wind. She tried to brace herself against it, but was forced to her knees to avoid being sent flying, gripping her bow tightly to her chest with one arm and covering her face with the other. Even through the torent, she could feel Mizuko drawing on her, could feel her heart beating madly as power swirled inside her and swelled up almost more than she could bare.

As quickly as it began, it ended. The air stilled and grew silent again, and Kagome looked to see that Yayano was on her knees as well, quivering as she looked up at the body of Inuyasha, from which Mizuko was glaring down at her with his dark, shimmering eyes.

"I have _not_ returned to you," he said, his voice colder and crueler than Kagome had yet heard it. "Don't you see? Don't you understand what you have done?"

The witch gaped back, croaking out tiny words that were too quiet to hear, and seemed to be only garbled gibberish in any case.

"This boy has not become my vessel," Mizuko went on. "His soul is still here. His strength hints of a darker power, I doubt even you could have forced it out."

"I… I don't understand…" Yayano said, and Kagome could hear the confusion and sadness in her voice, almost like that of a child.

Mizuko sighed, his face slowly growing calm again. "I'm afraid I am only borrowing this body. I needed to speak to you, to tell you that this has to end."

"End?" His mother whimpered. "But you're here at last! What do you mean you have not come back to me? Mizuko, why? Why do you not wish to return to your mother?"

"I don't know if there is anything left of you that I can call my mother," Mizuko whispered, looking away. "What I see before me is a monster, consumed by the power of an evil jewel, and the darkness of grief. I don't recognize you anymore."

Kagome breathed heavily, the strain of her connection with Mizuko lessened but still present. She looked between mother and son. At Mizuko's words, Yayano hunched herself down even further, hiding her face in her knees, digging her fingers into her scalp as she groaned.

"No.. no, no, no!" The witch yelled. She lifted her face back up and her cloudy eyes were furious and spilling over with tears. "I am more powerful now than ever! You are _mine_!"

Yayano raised a withered hand and with a cry released a flash of blue toward her son. Kagome reacted instantly, pulling back her bow string and letting an arrow fly before she was even fully aware of what she was doing.

The Sacred Arrow, illuminated with pink light, sliced a line through the air and met with the blue burst of magic before it had crossed even half the distance to Mizuko. As the two collided, there was a deafening hum and the clearing flashed a vivid violet. The arrow seemed to have done its job, for the light from the collision soon receded and Mizuko was right where he had been, unharmed though clearly surprised. The amber-eyed boy looked across the water at her, his face still set sternly but his mouth ever so slightly agape.

"You meddling little wench!" The shrill cry of the witch cracked the air. Kagome turned her head just in time to see her vision fill with electric blue, and then her whole body was screaming. Her limbs each convulsed and went limp. Kagome collapsed to her knees, and then her upper body followed and she found herself with her face smashing into the cold ground. Her vision was dotted with white and it was all she could do to force air down to her lungs, gasping like a fish out of water.

"Kagome!" Mizuko shouted. Even in her dazed state, it was odd to hear her name come from Inuyasha's mouth in a voice that wasn't his. Her mind recalled his real voice, the way he could say a hundred different things in one word whenever he called out her name. Her head wasn't able to grasp at any thought except that she would give anything to hear that now.

Suddenly, there were arms wrapped around her, warm and strong. Her eyelids fluttered as her senses returned to her. She looked around to see that red clad arms were embracing her, pressing her head to a chest where she could hear a frantic heartbeat hammering away. She blinked a few more times before realizing that Inuyasha had come to her side and pulled her top half into his lap, cradling her weak body to his.

Except it wasn't Inuyasha. "Kagome, can you hear me?" A gravelly voice pleaded.

"Mizuko…" Kagome muttered. "What do we do now?"

"Can you stand?" Mizuko whispered.

As Kagome struggled to answer, her eyes caught sight of Yayano, who was laying on her side not far away, crying out in anger or pain or both. Mizuko must have subdued her for the moment.

"I think I can," Kagome said, trying to suppress her pained moans.

Keeping his grip on her arm, Mizuko gently helped Kagome back to her feet. Though she swayed woozily for a moment, she found that the effects of Yayano's magic were fading quickly.

"We have to do this together," Mizuko said, his arm still hooked around her back in case she lost her footing. "I need you to focus all your power. We have to draw the jewel shard out of her."

Kagome rubbed at her eyes, and looked over at Mizuko apprehensively. "I… I don't know how. I don't know how to do any of this."

"You can do this, Kagome," Mizuko said, squeezing her lightly as reassurance.

But Kagome didn't know if she could believe it this time. She was confused and in way over her head. Maybe she had all the power Kikyo once had, but she wasn't Kikyo. She was just Kagome. She was a high school girl with a bow and arrow she could barely use, and a power she'd never asked for. She felt her eyes watering.

"I can't…" She said, looking away from Mizuko. "I just don't know how! I don't know how to control any of this power! I thought I could help you but I don't know what I'm doing!"

Mizuko suddenly gripped her firm by her shoulders and forced her to face him directly. When she still refused to look up at him, he gently grasped the bottom of her chin and coaxed her face upwards.

"Kagome," he said softly. Kagome couldn't help but to sigh at the touch of his hand - Inuyasha's hand. "Kagome, it's not about knowing all the right answers. True power comes from inside you, from the places and the emotions that don't need any explanations."

Kagome blinked at him, tears still pouring down her face. Mizuko traced his thumb across her cheek to wipe them away. "All you have to do is find that feeling that makes you the strongest. Whatever it is that puts courage in your heart, hold on to that, let it grow inside of you, and the rest will take care of itself. That's the only true secret to magic."

"Heh… how pathetic…" An angry, cracking voice interrupted. Kagome and Mizuko both turned to see Yayano back on her feet. "You think what's in your heart makes you strong? You're wrong, my fool of a son. All my love for you could not save you from the demons. And it couldn't bring you back, either. It was only the jewel, only _true_ power that could do that. Against that, this girl is nothing!"

"You truly are lost, mother," Mizuko said, his regret ringing clearly in his tone. "You understood the truth of magic once. It was your kindness and your love that brought such happiness to our village, and to me. Your magic was beautiful, as you yourself were. But now your ugliness is everywhere, body and soul. Power will always betray those whose hearts are so dark."

"Spare me your sermons, boy!" Yayano snapped. "Death has made your spirit weaker than I feared, and this girl… this brat has poisoned you against me!"

"No, please stop Yayano!" Kagome cried, pulling out of Mizuko's grasp to step closer to the witch. "Mizuko loves you, he only wants you to be at peace. It's the jewel shard that's poisoning everything, you have to let yourself be free of it!"

Yayano looked back at Kagome, narrowing her eyes. "I can sense the aura of a priestess in you, little girl," the old hag croaked. "But it is weak and shattered. You are nothing but a child, just like all those boys that I killed. A shell shoved full of a stranger's soul. That power is not yours, and so you will never be worthy enough to wield it."

The witches word stung Kagome to her core, worse than she had expected. The wounds in her heart that had been stitched so carefully felt ready to tear wide again. Maybe Kagome really couldn't ever be more than a sad reflection of Kikyo. Was she just a vessel for power she didn't deserve? It made sense, she supposed. But then, what good was she without Kikyo's soul inside her? She wouldn't have been able to fight, or find the jewels, or any of the things that made her useful to their team. Without that power, she was just Kagome. What value was there in that?

Kagome felt a hand grasp her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't listen, Kagome," Mizuko whispered into her ear, sending tiny goosebumps across her neck. "Remember what I told you."

"Enough of this nonsense now," Yayano glowered. "I'm tired of these games. Mizuko, you will return to me. Expel that demon boy's soul, take his body! Be with me as my son once again! Otherwise, the girl will die."

Mizuko's cold amber eyes were unwavering as he stared back at the witch. "I'm sorry it has to be this way," He said. "But I will do what I must to stop you."

Yayano only let out a growl in return as she took up a fighting stance once more.

"Kagome," Mizuko whispered. "Find my bones, bring them to me."

"What?" kagome exclaimed, startled by the sudden request.

"The spell won't work if she doesn't have them," He said. "She's thrown them to the bottom of the lake, you need to get them."

"Wait, Mizuko, I-"Kagome tried to protest, but Mizuko grabbed her by the shoulders and sent her flying off to one side just as blasts of blue began raining down on them.

Kagome landed in the shallows of the lake, and look back as Yayano advanced upon her son, both of the hurling their magic at one another. She groaned aloud, growing tired of being thrown around and given cryptic instructions. But, still, there wasn't much choice. Tearing herself away from the scene in front of her, Kagome turned to face the lake. She took one last breath, wondering just how crazy she must be to be doing this. Then, into the inky water she went.


	16. Chapter 16

Chap 16.

Kagome was surprised to see that the lake wasn't nearly so deep as it appeared from the surface, and the water around her was clear and not too dark. It was as if the veil of evil that Yayano had cast was unable to pierce the depths of the pond, and Kagome was surely relieved at that.

Kicking her legs quickly, Kagome scanned the muddy bottom below her searching for any signs of Mizuko's bones. She wasn't entirely sure what she should except, whether they would be laid on the bottom in the same white cloth, or if she should be expecting to come across a full skeleton somewhere in the mud? Either way her stomach was turning over, knowing it would be unpleasant regardless.

With the air in her lungs growing weaker, Kagome swam more frantically. She made her way as deep as she could go, the bottom now within arms reach. She swam on towards the deeper center of the pond, feeling as though there was no hope at all. She couldn't hold her breath much longer, and she could see nothing around her that looked like what she sought.

Then, like a shock of electricity, Kagome's chest throbbed and her vision tinged pink. She blinked hard at the water around her, surprised at the sudden sensation. Her chest throbbed once more, and this time it felt less like a pain, and more like a tug. Something was guiding her on. The jewel? Mizuko? Kagome couldn't tell, but she followed nonetheless.

Her head was aching now, and her lungs were screaming for air but she couldn't stop. The tug she felt was drawing her deep, right down the very center of the lake. She went on, but saw nothing. Desperately, she dug her hands down into the muck, grimacing at the feeling of the sludge. She dug as deep as she could, but with each passing second her hope was fading.

Her fingers grazed something solid. Kagome almost pulled away in shock, but then quickly jammed her hands down, feeling the shape of something larger with flat edges. Her hands found a grip around it, and she yanked hard, pulling a wooden box up out of the muck. It was a bit heavy, and about the size of a backpack. She couldn't stop to ponder it much. She just wrapped her arms tightly around her prize and then began a frenzied swim toward the surface.

Her vision was beginning to go black, and she used the very last strength she could muster to kick her way up the last few feet. Her head breached the surface and she inhaled a painful breath that stung in her oxygen-starved lungs, though she was happy for it.

Still somewhat delirious, Kagome began to paddle herself in a random direction, hoping the shore was close. She bobbed up and down in the water like a cork, hardly able to keep her head above the waves due to the weight of the box in her grasp. She kept kicking, inching forward until at long last her feet felt the bottom once again. No sooner had she managed to set herself down onto her feet then she felt a pair of hands grab her by the arms.

She was hauled none too gracefully to the shore, gasping and coughing as she was at last able to expel the water that had forced its way down her throat.

"Kagome, are you okay?" A man's voice said.

Kagome's eyes shot upwards to see Miroku crouched beside her, holding her by the arm.

"Miroku?" She muttered, her vision still a little hazy.

"Kagome," Miroku said, giving her shoulders a small shake. "Can you hear me, are you alright?"

"Yeah,"Kagome said, still hacking a few more mouthfuls of water. "Thanks."

"What's going on?" Miroku said. He helped Kagome get back up her feet. "What's with the box? What's going on with Inuyasha, I've never seen him fight like this."

Kagome's heart jumped into her throat upon hearing the half-demons' name, and she suddenly began looking around frantically, ignoring the monk's volley of questions.

A flash of light not far from them caught her eye, and she turned to see that Mizuko and Yayano were near the shore, both of them angrily casting their magic attacks, though neither could land a strike on the other.

Mizuko, who was still making use of Inuyasha's body, was sending small orbs of white light form his palms, each of which burst into a fireworks display of light wherever they impacted.

Kagome was so captivated by the sight that for a moment she forgot about the task at hand, but Miroku's constant shaking of her shoulder soon pulled her back.

"Miroku, you have to help me," Kagome said suddenly, turning to her friend.

"Of course, but maybe you could tell me what in the world is going on?" Miroku pressed, his normal calm expression replaced with one of confusing and perhaps even a hint of exasperation. "I leave for a few minutes and it looks like everything's gone wrong."

"I can't explain right now," Kagome spoke quickly. "But you need to distract the witch so that I can speak with Miz- uh, I mean Inuyasha. Can you do that for me?"

Miroku shook his head with a sigh. "It's never really a choice when you ask, Kagome. Leave it to me."

Kagome nodded. She wished she had more time to offer him a thank you, but there's was no time. As Miroku got to his feet, brandishing his staff in preparing to join the battle, Kagome lifted the box in her arms and made for the trees. The contents of the wooden box rattled as she ran, and Kagome gulped hard, trying not to think about it too much.

As Kagome entered the tree line, she looked around for a moment until she spotted the mounds of graves once more. Mustering her courage, she knelt beside the closest one, setting the box beside her. She closed her eyes and bowed her head just like she'd seen her mother do before the shrine of her father back home.

In her old life, Kagome had never held much stock in speaking to the dead. Even speaking to her father at his shrine, which she only did when things were at their worst, felt awkward and make believe, like she was asking nothing but the air for guidance.

Things had changed, though. Her heart had changed, and the way she felt the presences around her had changed, too. Maybe it was the jewel, or Kikyo's soul, or just due to everything she had seen. In any case, Kagome felt a surging in her chest, like the warmth of an embrace all around her, and she knew that this was right.

"Please," She whispered. "I know that you want peace, and I know that you are suffering. Please, help me to make this right. Help me, and I will make sure that everything is fixed. I swear on my bow, and on my soul. Please."

Kagome didn't have to open her eyes to know that a mist had settled all around her. She could feel the moisture on her skin, the heaviness in each breath, smell the dampness in her nostrils. Yet this time, instead of shivers, it gave her comfort. No longer a death shroud, this weighty presence was a shield, warm and strong. Kagome recalled the times that Inuyasha had given her his fire rat robes for protection; the way the fabric was heavy and hot but comforting, as if his arms were always around her. That was how she felt now.

Lifting the box in her arms again, Kagome rose to her feet as she opened her eyes, looking back in the direction of the lake. The pulsing in her chest told her that Mizuko was drawing on her strength still; he needed her. They all needed her.

With the fog following her like the train of a wedding gown, or perhaps the wings of an angel, Kagome stepped out of the trees, ready to face whatever was waiting.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chap 17.**

Kagome was instantly relieved to see that the fight had moved to the far side of the lake, and was now more or less a cat and mouse game between Yayano and Miroku. He couldn't make much use of his wind tunnel, but he was dodging attacks in his usual nimble fashion, and doing his job as a distraction just like Kagome needed him to.

A flash of red caught Kagome's eyes, and she saw that Inuyasha was running towards her, his mouth moving as though calling out her name. The tug in her chest grew stronger. As Kagome's feet began to move to carry her in his direction, her mind wandered to her recent reunion with Inuyasha back in the forest, the way they'd he'd held her, the feeling of relief at being in his arms even just for a brief moment. Now wasn't the time for something like that again, nor was the boy approaching her truly Inuyasha, she knew that. Still, there was a disappointed sting in her heart when the silver haired demon came to a stop in front of her and those amber eyes, however lovely, lacked all of the fire she had come to expect.

"Kagome," Mizuko's voice spilled from the half-demon's mouth. "Are you alright? Did you…" He trailed off as his eyes fell upon the box in her arms.

"I found it," Kagome said, a bit breathless still from the run. "I got a little extra help, too." She turned her head over her shoulder to indicate the mist that was rolling behind her, full of white phantom figures moving closer en masse.

A rueful smile cracked upon Mizuko's lips. "I knew you were wise, Kagome," He said, looking back her. "I never doubted you." For a moment, his bronze eyes had a spark to them that Kagome recognized, and it made her heart leap.

"What do we do now?" She asked, shaking the moment away.

"Now, we can end this," Misuko said as his face grew dark. "My mother's power over me is almost broken. All that's left is to draw out the shard. Do you think you can do it?"

"Yes," Kagome lied, her mind already doing somersaults trying to formulate a better plan than the one she had, but came up short. "I know what I have to do."

"Good. I'm going to go back to help your friend, and once we get her subdued, it's all up to you." There was a pause, then as if something else had popped into his mind, he took a step nearer to her. "This boy... is precious to you, isn't he?"

Kagome blinked dumbly at the sudden question. "You mean Inuyasha? Well, he's… I mean, it's not-"

"I can see it on your face. You're honest even in your expressions," Misuko smiled one of his small, mysterious smiles. "You're looking at me, but you're searching for him. He is a very lucky man to have someone who looks at him like that."

Kagome felt her face go hot, and looked down at her feet, unsure of what to say. A clawed hand patted the top of her head, and she looked up to see Mizuko's eyes shimmering, trained on her with an intensity that was startling.

"Of my many regrets, one of my greatest is that I will never know love such as that. It's ironic that now, after I'm dead-" Mizuko's eyes softened. "-I finally meet a woman I could have loved."

"Mizuko…" Kagome's eyes widened, and she once more found herself floundering beneath his powerful gaze. As her silence dragged on, a sadness stuck up upon his face, and he closed his eyes.

"Get yourself ready," Mizuko said bluntly, turning from her with a sigh. "I'll protect this boy that you cherish, I swear it."

Without hearing her reply, Mizuko was off in a sprint back to the battle, and the ghost filled fog followed quickly behind him. Kagome stood as a statue as each white wrapped figure passed her by, though they barely phased her this time. Her heart was thumping for other reasons now. It had been Mizuko's voice that spoke to her, and Mizuko's dark eyes that had looked at her with such longing. Yet Kagome couldn't shake the image of Inuyasha standing before her, making soft declarations of love like something out of her wildest daydreams. That one would definitely linger.

After finally get her head back into the moment, Kagome set down the box at her feet in order to unshoulder her pack. She knew there wouldn't be any room to mess this up this time, yet even still she found her hands were shaking as she pulled the zipper open.

Taking a deep breath, praying her plan would succeed, she produced the small glass vial in which she kept her own sliver of the jewel shard. It shimmered even in the low light, the faintest of glows pulsing from it. The sight of it always made a tiny jolt run through her body, like static electricity. Subtle, but jarring.

With a determined glare taking root on her face, Kagome uncapped the vial and spilled the fragment out into her palm. The way the jewel's shine flickered for just a second made it seem as if had almost given her a wink, like it was ready for whatever mischief she had planned. She hoped that was true.

Closing her hand into a defiant fist, Kagome looked back up at the battle nearby, the flashing of blue and white strobing across the lake. Miroku was still holding his own, but Kagome could see his stamina was wavering; he was losing his footing, dodging blast that were becoming nearer and nearer misses. Mizuko had joined in as well, and at last some of his attacks were hitting their mark, sending a shrieking Yayano falling to her knees again and again as she attempted to hold off her opponents. She was weakening, too.

Kagome's feet were always faster than the rest of her, faster even than her head sometimes. Even as her mind was still worrying over the jewel in her hand and the tasks she faced, her body was already sprinting forward toward the war zone ahead of her. She was going to end up becoming a champion sprinter by the time all of this was over.

"Miroku!" Kagome called. "Mizuko! You need to hold her down!"

The furious witch took notice of her approach, and seemed to forget about her other two attackers as she turned to face Kagome. "You still think you can beat me, brat?" The witch roared. She held up a hand that began to glow with blue fire. "I'll rip out your soul, you meddling wench!"

Suddenly, a white wrapped hand shot out from the foggy air to grasp the witch by her wrist. Yayano growled as she turned to see one of the ghostly figures beside her, it's hollow, shadowed eyes gazing at her without emotion. Before she could shake him off, another pair of cloth covered arms wrapped around her neck from behind, and then more and more, until a near swarm of white-shrouded ghosts were clutching and clawing and tugging at every hand hold they could get.

Yayano bellowed angrily, lashing out with her hand still aflame. The fire caught the fabric of a few of the figures, and in an instant they burst out of existence, fading into clouds of mist and smoke. One by one, the witch cast them all off, and it seemed as if soon she would turn her fury back to Kagome.

Then the clearing erupted into a flash of white, and before Kagome could even blink, Yayano was laying on the ground, her kimono smoldering in places from the fiery blast that Mizuko had just delivered to her back. The witch groaned but did not rise.

"Kagome, hurry!" Mizuko cried, rushing forward to grasp his mother into his arms. Miroku quickly approached as well, silently helping to hold the witch in place, though he eyed Inuyasha suspiciously all the while, still unaware of the body's true inhabitant.

"I'm coming," Kagome huffed, her legs burning. She closed the space between them all, sliding to a stop on her knees so quickly she was sure she scraped most of the skin off, but there wasn't time to care. As the the boys rolled Yayano onto her back, the hag made another pained noise and looked as if she was about to stir. There was no time.

Kagome lifted the fist that held the jewel shard, and after hesitating only for a breath, set her palm against the witches chest, pressing the shard to the spot where it's counterpart lay hidden beneath the withered, gray skin.

"Please," Kagome whispered to herself. "Please, work." She inhaled sharply as she felt the shard in her hand come to life with a magenta glow, along with a mirrored glow from Yayano's chest. Then pain tore through Kagome's body, and her vision was abruptly lost into darkness.

* * *

Silence. The whole world around her was still, holding its breath. She was suddenly so cold. Cold that was from more than the air and the mist and the icy ground beneath her feet. A cold that was seeping into her bones, into her blood, into her very heart, so cold she could hardly breath. Her hand that held the shard felt numb and stiff, as if frostbitten. She couldn't see. She couldn't move.

 _This is it, isn't it?_ Kagome thought hazily to herself. _This is how the power of the jewel feels... when it's evil. This is what it can become._

Kagome's heart felt like it was tightening in her chest, like every ounce of her energy was being drained away by that terrible, icy power that left her mind reeling in silence and blackness. It really would be so easy, Kagome realized, to lose herself to this power. To let herself fall down into the shadows and let this cold quiet feeling wrap her up and devour her. This nothingness that was hungrier than death, this sharp tugging in her chest.

Kagome felt her heart jump. Wait. That pain in her chest, that tugging feeling- that wasn't coming from the jewel, she thought. No, this was a warm sting, like the prick of a hot needle, small but unmistakable.

 _Kagome._

A familiar voice shattered the deathly silence around her.

 _Kagome, you're stronger than her. You can do this._

The darkness clouding her vision shifted, and somewhere near her a faint light was shining, but she couldn't see from where, her mind felt too foggy. But that voice… she knew that voice. Miroku? Mizuko? No, someone else…

 _Come on, you idiot. You're so close. You can do this._

"Inuyasha…" Kagome breathed, her words leaving her mouth with a puff of fog. "Is that you?"

 _You're stronger than you know, Kagome. I know you can do this. You can beat her._

"Inuyasha," Kagome felt hot tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "I don't think I can. I'm not strong like the rest of you. I'm not like you. I'm not… I'm not Kikyo."

"No, you're you. That's all you've ever needed to be." This time the voice was closer, echoing all around her, and it felt real. The light around Kagome grew brighter, and with the last of her strength, she raised her head to see a pair of warm, golden eyes looking down at her. "The person we all need right now is you, don't you get it? We need our Kagome. We all believe in you. You're not going to let some stupid old hag beat you, right?"

"N-no…" Kagome stuttered out as her tears began to fall freely, their heat warming her face. "I won't… I won't let you down, Inuyasha." Kagome began to remember the words that Mizuko had told her: find that feeling that makes her the strongest. Remember what put courage in her heart.

Those yellow eyes continued to hold her gaze, like beams of sunlight cutting through a storm. He was what gave her courage, wasn't it? It had always been him. Since the beginning, even before all these complicated feelings had tangled up inside of her, Inuyasha had always helped her to feel braver than she knew she could be. He was her strength. Now, she had to be strong for him, too.

Kagome screwed her eyes shut and tried with all of her might to focus on the jewel in her hand. The last few of her tears dripped down her cheek and landed gently on her knuckles, still warm. Kagome focused on that warmth. She focused on the memory of Inuyasha's arms around her, how he had chased away the cold. She focused on the memory of the spark of his eyes, and fire of his temper, the hot, deep ache of how much she cared for him. It hurt, but it was warm.

The ice in her blood seemed to be fading, and a tingle ran through her body like the pin pricks of a numb limb coming back to life. Kagome's mind was clearing, and as the heat began to build up within her, she felt the jewel shard pulse.

 _Inuyasha._ Kagome clung to the vision of the half-demon's face like it was her life line. _Inuyasha needs me. He believes in me._ The shard began to blow brighter, and it burned where it touched her skin but she held her hand firmly in place. She would not let this evil win, she would not let it hurt her friends, would not let it take away the ones she loved. She would make this power bend to her will.

* * *

Everything happened at once. The cold darkness around her seemed to melt and fade as her vision again filled with the sight of the clearing. Heat seemed to explode up her arm, but there was no pain now. Instead, there was relief. A shroud had been lifted, and she could breathe again, gasping aloud as her body seemed to come back to it's sense in an instant. A pink flash swelled around her. Then, it was over.

Kagome, blinking her vision back into focus, found that Miroku and Mizuko were both looking at her intently. Shakily, Kagome lifted her hand from the witches chest. In her grasp were not one, but two shards. A small, quickly closing wound on Yayano's chest was the only remnants that it had ever been within her. It was over.

"You did it," Miroku sighed beside her, falling back on his behind as his strength seemed to at last have given out. "You really did it. I got worried, for a second there, you looked like you were going to pass out."

Kagome could hear his words but it seemed like they were far away. Without thinking, her eyes shot up to look at Inuyasha, but she knew right away that it was still Mizuko. The silver haired boy was still sitting across from her with the unmoving body of Yayano in his lap. His dark eyes were trained on the witch, like he was waiting.

"Isn't… isn't something supposed to, I don't know, happen?" Miroku chimed in, looking back and forth between his two friends, though he seemed to be swiftly slipping into an exhausted slump. "How do we know if it really worked."

"It worked…" Mizuko whispered, lifting a hand to softly brush a strand of grey hair out of his mother's face. The gesture was so strange to see performed by Inuyasha, the tenderness of it so unlike anything either Kagome or Miroku had ever seen their friend display.

"Kagome, what's going?" Miroku asked, his eyes locked on Inuyasha's face, still foggy, yet knowing. "You're not Inuyasha... are you?"

Mizuko looked up, his face stoic, and stared back at Miroku but seemed he wouldn't be offering an answer. Miroku seemed at his wits end about the whole thing, and proceeded to collapse onto his back, eyes shutting. Kagome was about to reach over to make sure he was alright when the witch stirred lightly, making her jump.

"My son…" Yayano spoke, her lips only barely parting enough to get the words out. "Mizuko… that is you, isn't it?"

"Yes," Mizuko said, turning his gaze back to his mother. "I'm here."

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Mizuko…" Yayano's eyes fluttered open. They were black as midnight, clear and unclouded. She reached out a frail hand and Mizuko grasped it in his own, his face awash with sadness. "My son… it wasn't… supposed to be this way. I didn't want to hurt them. But I missed you so badly. I only wanted to have my boy back."

"I'm here now, mother," Mizuko's husky voice seemed ready to break. "You must let go of the sadness, let go of the guilt. You must let me be free. Please."

"But I'll never… I'll never get to see you again…" The witch's voice was growing quieter by the minute. They all could see that she was fading.

"You will," Mizuko spoke softly, hugging his mother to his chest. "We can go together. We can be at peace together. But first you must lift your magic from this place, and let my spirit and all these others go free. Will you do that for me?"

"I've failed you, haven't I, my son?" Yayano's dark eyes began to overflow with tears. "You would still forgive me after all that I have done?"

"If you help me make this right, I will." Mizuko said, his words quiet and firm. "Make this right, and we can be together again."

Yayano nodded her head weakly, and then closed her eyes. She took a shaky, ragged breath, and then began to mumble the words of a spell, faintly but determined.

Kagome could feel the magic in the air around her right away. The air was suddenly lighter, like a weight was lifting away. Above them, the dark haze of the clouds began to dissipate, replaced slowly by the shine of the afternoon sun, warm and bright.

The sound of footsteps nearby made Kagome turn her head, and she saw around her the figures in their white shrouds approaching once more. As they drew closer, Kagome's eyes widened to see that the cloth wrapped around them began to unravel thread by thread and then vanish into the air. The face of each boy was revealed, and Kagome's heart couldn't help but to hurt upon seeing how young some of them had been. Yet each boy showed an expression of calm, looking only at Mizuko and his mother, as if waiting.

"It is… done…" Yayano whispered at last, her voice cracking with the effort it now took her to speak. "I have no hold upon them now."

"Thank you, mother," Mizuko said, his eyes never leaving her face. "It is time to go now. I will meet you soon, in the other place."

The witch gave a small nod, and exhaled a long, slow breath that rattled in her chest. Her black eyes, locked on her son, shimmered with tears for a moment longer, and then Kagome saw the sight go from them, like a candle blowing out. She was gone.

"Mizuko…" Kagome said, slowly reaching out a hand to touch the boys arm. "She's at peace now."

"Yes…" Mizuko nodded, tearing his gaze away from his mother's body to look into Kagome's eyes. She could see the pain on his face, though now it was accompanied by relief. "You did it, Kagome. I knew you would."

"It was all of us," Kagome said with a weak smile. "We did it together."

"Humble even now…" He muttered, huffing out a little laugh. He smiled ruefully and shook his head. "Kagome… will you come here?"

"Oh, um…" Kagome hesitated, but as Mizuko reached out to grip her arm, she allowed him to pull her closer until she was leaning in face to face with him.

"There is nothing I could ever do to thank you," Mizuko said. "And now, I must ask you for just a little more before I go."

"What is it?"

"Protect the jewel. Keep it out of evil's hand, promise me?"

"Yes," Kagome said with a firm nod. "Always, I swear."

"Thank you," Mizuko's voice, though still emitting form Inuyasha's lips, suddenly seemed as though it was far away, barely an echo. "Kagome…"

Before Kagome knew what was happening, Mizuko pulled her the last few inches closer, connecting their lips in a light kiss. Kagome let out a little gasp, but found her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of Inuyasha's lips against hers. They were warm and gentle, with a taste that was so unmistakably Inuyasha. She lost herself in it, unable to focus on anything else but that wonderful, dangerous flavor.

Too soon it was over, and their lips separated. Kagome sighed, and lifted her gaze. Golden yellow eyes were looking back at her, blinking widely in surprise.

"K-Kagome?"

Kagome blinked back, realization dawning on her. "Inuyasha? It's… it's you?"

"Of course it's me!" The half-demon huffed, his face turning a crimson shade of shade of red. "Uh… what… what were you doing?" He asked, searching her face intently, eyes lingering a moment on her mouth.

Kagome felt the butterflies in her stomach and her voice hitched. "Oh! I was… I mean… the thing is…" The longer she fumbled the redder her face became, and the more impatient Inuyasha looked. "Look, I got the jewel!" Kagome blurted out at last, holding out her palm to display the two shards in her hand.

"Woah, you really did it," Inuyasha said, inspecting the shards. "I thought for sure we were going to lose this one. I don't… I don't even remember what happened. One minute I was fighting that witch and then…"

"You… don't remember anything at all?" Kagome asked, staring up at him intently. "Nothing?"

"No, not really…" Inuyasha rubbed at his head and then winced. "Whatever happened, my head is killing…"

Kagome offered out her hand to help Inuyasha, both of them careful to step around where Yayano's body lay still on the ground.

"Is she dead?" Inuyasha asked, eyeing the witch cautiously.

"Yes, she and Mizuko and all the other's should be at peace now," Kagome looked down at the old woman, a small ache in her heart. "It really is sad what happened to them all."

"Yeah, well," Inuyasha shrugged. "It's fixed now, right? Happy ending and all that, just like you want."

Kagome sighed. "I never wanted any of this…"

"Hey, c'mon," Inuyasha said, his voice turning just a hint softer. "You know what I meant, don't going feeling bad about these two-"

"It's not just about them, Inuyasha," Kagome interjected, though there was no snap in her tone, just sadness. "I mean I never wanted _any_ of this. The jewel shattering, falling into the hands of all these demons like Naraku, and ruining all these lives. How many people are dead? How many people will never get a happy ending because of what has happened?" By the time Kagome got all the words out, her voice was breaking, and she turned away from Inuyasha to hide her face.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha's words came out as a sigh, and then Kagome felt a hand slowly slipping into hers, capturing her fingers in a light grip.

"Kagome, each and every one of us has made mistakes. Yes, you shattered the jewel. But I remember that day. I remember how you jumped into the river to save that boy, how you thought fast and did the only thing you knew how to do. You've made mistakes, but you have only ever done anything to try to help and protect people, because that's who you are," Inuyasha tugged at Kagome's hand, coaxing her to turn back around to look at him. "That's how I know we will fix this. As long as someone like you is determined to make things right, we're going to win. Because your heart is so big, and you never give up. That's exactly the kind of person we all need. Just you, as you are."

Kagome stared back him, eyes wide. "Inuyasha… you…"

"Kagome! Inuyasha!" A shrill voice resounded through the air from nearby, and they both looked around just in time to spot Kirara bursting over the treetops, Shippo holding tight to her neck. As the pair landed, Shippo leapt to the ground and rushed to his friends, crying out all the while. "You guys! You're alright! I was so worried about you!"

Kagome braced herself for impact as Shippo launched himself into her arms, just barely managing to reach out in time to catch him. The tiny kit buried his face in her arms, whimpering.

"Oh, Shippo, I'm so glad you're safe," Kagome said, comforting him with a few scratches to his ears. "We're all okay now, it's alright."

Beside them, Inuyasha clicked his tongue irately. "Seems to me you were more worried about Kagome than anyone, you little runt," the half-demon huffed. "Why were you so worried anyway, you should know by now we always win."

Brushing Inuyasha's comments aside, Kagome continued to hug Shippo until his whining stopped. "Hey, Shippo, where's Sango?" Kagome eventually asked, noticing their demon slayer friend had not accompanied Shippo and Kirara as she expected.

"She's back at the village, she was hurt awful bad, but their healer is fixing her leg," Shippo explained.

Nearby, the all heard a groan and turned to see Miroku hauling himself back up to his feet. "You said… Sango's back at the village? She's okay?"

"What about the boy?" Kagome interjected. "Hisato, where is he?"

"Yes, they're both at the village and they will both be fine," Shippo nodded. "The healer said Sango will be off her feet for a few days, but she'll be okay. And Hisato just needed some rest, he'd lost a lot of strength, but nothing a few days rest and a good meal couldn't fix."

Kagome and Miroku both heaved relived sighs.

"We should hurry up and get back to the village then," Miroku said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted."

"Yeah," Kagome nodded, already feeling her knees beginning to wobble as her adrenaline at last faded and the pain and fatigue began to take over. "I need take care of one last thing, and then we can go."

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm trying to keep up with this one, I want to get the last chapter out before the end of the month! Hope you all like where it ends up! Leave some comments!


	18. Chapter 18

Chap 18.

Kagome stood at the edge of the small open grave with the wooden box clutched tightly in her hands. Already, she had noticed that the forest was warmer now, sunlight streaming down through the bare treetops now that the haze was gone. The forest was still empty and gray, but it didn't really feel so dead now. More like it had only been sleeping and was just now waking up. The air was fresher and a breeze was teasing Kagome's hair as she stood looking down at the freshly dug earth in front of her.

At the bottom of the grave, the small, hunched body of Yayano had already been placed, curled slightly on her side. Her eyes were shut, and the lines of her face were softened, the anger long gone. Once the power of the jewel had left her, she'd almost come close to herself again; Her long hair was soft and white once more, her body less twisted and withered. No amount of magic could completely undo the damage that had been done, her youth having long since been lost and replaced by wrinkles, but still, as Kagome looked down upon the once lovely priestess, she thought to herself that Yayano was still beautiful now, in her own way. Mizuko would surely have thought so.

Beside Kagome, the others stood silently, watching her. Inuyasha stood the farthest away - certainly funerals were not his forte - but his head was bowed respectfully nonetheless. Miroku stood at Kagome's side, his eyes closed, whispering a small parting prayer that he'd said would help he spirits find their way easily into the afterlife. Kagome didn't understand the words, but it was a kind gesture.

When all the words were said, Kagome knelt beside the grave, and gently as she could, placed the box of Mizuko's bones into the ground. She knestled it in between Yayano's arms, so that the priestess could forever embrace her son. She felt that was right.

Inuyasha did the task of pushing the dirt back into the grave until only a small rectangular mound of soil remained, matching all the others that surrounded it. Kagome felt the sorrow of that place as she looked around; it was truly a shame that a place that was once so lovely was now a graveyard. But Kagome reminded herself that this was not a haunted place anymore. It was peaceful now, and each of their souls could rest. That comforted her some.

Miroku and Shippo were both quick to head back to Kirara, anxious to return to the village and check on Sango. Kagome didn't follow them right away, instead taking a few extra moments to stare at the small grave at her feet, her mind wandering. She was only pulled out of her thoughts by the touch of a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Kagome?" It was Inuyasha, his eyes creased slightly with concern. "Let's go, alright?"

Kagome nodded silently and at last allowed herself to turn away from the forest, following after her friends back to the clearing. Inuyasha walked quietly beside her, and she couldn't help but notice the way his eyes kept shifting in her direction, stealing worried glances. It almost made her smile.

When they finally all piled back onto Kirara's back, their departure from the forest was just as quick as their arrival. Kagome looked down at the lake as they ascended, admiring how the water was already shifting back to it's true turquoise vibrance. It was a spot of lovely color against the bare landscape, like a sparkling gemstone, growing smaller and smaller as the group left that place behind them.

Eventually, they crested the hills so that the forest and the lake were lost from view entirely, and Kagome knew it really was over now. She finally turned her eyes forward, watching as the rolling rice fields rushed by far below. The fading light around her made her realize just how late it was getting, and also how tired she was.

Without thinking, Kagome sighed and leaned back to get more comfortable, and heard a grunt. Startled, she looked over her shoulder to see a very red faced Inuyasha, whom she'd forgotten was seated directly behind her.

Kagome opened her mouth to sheepishly apologized, but Inuyasha cut her off. "It's fine. Here, lean back," he said calmly, opening his arms slightly. "I know you're tired. Rest a little."

Sensing that this was not really a request, and feeling too weary to argue, Kagome nodded and silently obliged, letting her back press against his chest and resting her head on his shoulder. She half expected him to wrap his arms around her, but he made no other movements. She was almost disappointed, but she said nothing, just enjoying the rare closeness.

Kagome hadn't really meant to fall asleep, but it was hard not to drift off when she was so exhausted. The gentle rise and fall of their ride as well as the soft touch of Inuyasha's robe against her face didn't help much, either. It wasn't a long way back to the village, so she must not have slept long, but when she woke as they landed she felt as groggy and confused as if she'd slept for hours.

It took her a moment to recognize their surroundings. They were back at the village nearby to where that had camped the night before, but it looked somehow more inviting now that the mist and foreboding atmosphere had vanished.

As it turned out, the healer of the village was the same shriveled, snappy old woman whom Inuyasha had previously referred to as a "hag", which Kagome found all too amusing. Watching Inuyasha begrudgingly force out a curt apology with his ears flattened like a scolded puppy - truly priceless.

It seemed that the poor little village had been experiencing a share of Yayano's curse, being so close to the forest. A shroud of darkness had settled there since Yayano's turn to madness, and the ghostly souls of the stolen boys had been wandering the rice fields outside the village for many months, tormenting the inhabitants with dark dreams and illness. But finally, the curse on them all was lifted, and now the small settlement felt almost quaint. Kagome was even informed that Hisato, the boy she had rescued, lived in that very village, and his family was very grateful to have him home. Each person she met greeted her with warm, exuberant gratitude and they were all promised a place to stay for night as well as a hot supper. Kagome was so happy she was beaming even through her tiredness.

The old healer woman was the one to them to the little hut where Sango and Hisato were resting, and though she never ceased her scowling she did mutter a few words of thanks as she ushered them inside. Hisato was asleep in a corner and the woman warned them not bother him. They were all happy to see that Sango was awake though, and seemed in good shape.

Miroku was the first to rush to her side, his concern evident across his face. "Sango, are you doing alright?" He spoke quickly, his eyes seeming to search her for damages. "How is your leg? Are you in pain?"

Sango smiled weakly at him and nodded. "They took care of it, it's all wrapped up and clean now. The old woman gave me some herbal tea to help with the pain and make me sleep." Her statement was punctuated by a small yawn and her eyes fluttered halfway shut. "I just need to rest. I'll be fine, so don't worry."

Miroku didn't look entirely convinced, but he only nodded and gave Sango's shoulder a small pat as her eyes fell fully shut, letting his hand linger there just a moment before he pulled away. When he stood up, he was met by the knowing smirks of his friends, all of whom had watched the exchange with quiet amusement.

"What?" Miroku demanded.

"You sure do always get awful _concerned_ about Sango," Shippo piped with a smile.

"I get concerned about all of you!" Miroku countered, though his face was already turning red. "It's not anything unusual."

"Yeah, right," Inuyasha snorted. "I don't recall you ever being concerned about anyone but _yourself_ , much less all of us."

"But now you're fawning all over Sango…" Shippo carried on, sharing a mischievous sideways look with Inuyasha. "Seems like maybe something's going on…"

In response, Miroku flashed a jaunty, teasing grin of his own. "Well, there's no doubt that I think Sango is as lovely and enticing as any other woman, but I hardly-"

"Miroku," it was Kagome's turn to interject, though her tone was more serious. "I'm sure it means a lot to Sango that you were worried about her. Even if she tries to act cool all the time, I bet it gets hard for her. I think it's nice that you care so much."

Miroku's joking expression faltered in surprise at her words, eventually melting to a more sincere smile. "Yes, you're probably right. Thanks, Kagome."

The two shared their own understanding look as Inuyasha and Shippo watched with raised eyebrows, confused at the suddenly turn of the conversation.

"Anyways, I think I might need that healer woman to take a look at me, too," Miroku said as they all made their way back out of the hut. He stretched his arms, which released a few worrisome popping sounds, and he winced. "Seems that witch got a few good hits on me."

"Yeah, same here," Inuyasha said, rubbing at the back of his head. "It feels like a firecracker went off inside my skull." The half demon turned his attention to Kagome. "Do you what happened after I blacked out? I know that the witch had me and I couldn't get away, but then the next thing I knew I was coming to and it was all over."

"Oh… so, you really don't remember anything in between?" Kagome asked cautiously. "Nothing at all?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her. "No… Is there something I _should_ remember?" He asked suspiciously. "Did something weird happen that I should know about?"

"W-what?" Kagome stammered, looking away. "Why would you think anything weird happened? I never said anything like that."

"Kagome…"

"Okay, okay! So, it sounds bad, but… you sort of… got possessed by a ghost?" Kagome said, laughing awkwardly as she took a few steps back. "C-crazy right?"

Inuyasha's glare deepened. "What do mean, _possessed by a ghost_?" He snarled incredulously. "You mean that dead guy? He was _in my body_?! How the hell did that happen? That wasn't part of the plan at all!"

Kagome held her hands up apologetically. "I know! But everything was going wrong and we ran out of options and-"

" _'We'_?" Inuyasha looked ready to tear something to shreds. "What do you mean, 'we', huh? You mean that creepy dead freak? He was with you? You were working together?"

"Well, he found me in the forest and told me he would help me get the shard back," Kagome defended. "I didn't know what else to do, okay? I didn't think I could do it alone!"

"Well, Miroku should have been with you!" Inuyasha snapped, turning his glare on the monk.

"Now, now, Inuyasha," Miroku chided calmly. "I had to help Hisato, there was no other option. It wasn't Kagome's fault or mine."

"Well, she didn't need to start asking for favors from a freaking ghost!" The red in the half-demon's face started to match his robes as his voice grew louder. He turned back on Kagome. "What if he'd been on the witches side all along? What if he'd tried to hurt you instead, Kagome? Then what would you have done?"

Nearby, Miroku and Shippo were silently making their own retreats, slipping away as the argument worsened, though their two squabbling friends took no notice.

"Really, you are unbelievable, Inuyasha!" Now it was Kagome raising her voice, her face pinching in her usual stubborn scowl. "I saved all of us! Even when I felt helpless and useless and pathetic, _I did it_!"

Inuyasha balked a bit and stepped back. "Kagome, that's not… you're not-"

"Just shut up!" Kagome snapped. "After everything I just went through, you could at least be appreciative!"

"I am!" Inuyasha shouted over her, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Could have fooled me!" Kagome nearly screamed. "Jeez, you make me so mad!"

"Well, excuse me!" Inuyasha balled his fists at his side and leaned in toward her face with his teeth barred. "I didn't realize it was such a terrible thing to care about you!"

Kagome faltered at his words. "No! I just…" The spark in her words faded. "I just want to feel like you believe in me, alright? Like I'm not just… some burden you have to worry about…"

Seeing the forlorn look taking over her face, Inuyasha's fierceness dwindled as well. "Idiot," He said, shaking his head. "Don't you get it? It's because I believe in you that I worry about you."

Kagome tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, _stupid_ , that I believe you will do whatever it takes to do what you think is right, and I also believe that you will do it without any regard for yourself," Inuyasha said with a glare. "You're stubborn and impulsive and not to mention loud and obnoxious, you're practically a walking target for trouble."

"Gee, thanks" Kagome glared back at him, but couldn't bring herself to get angry. "I guess I just want you to know that you don't have to worry all the time. I can take care of myself. You can count on me."

"I already know all that. But I'll never stop worrying about you, so get used to it." Inuyasha reached out a clawed hand and set it on top of her head, giving her hair a light ruffle. His expression never its lost irritated edge, but somewhere in the golden shadows of his eyes, Kagome saw that softness that made her stomach do somersaults.

"Hey, by the way," she asked as Inuyasha retracted his hand. "Do you, uh… you you remember what happened just before you woke up? Back at the lake?"

He crossed his arms and looked at her thoughtfully. "Honestly, it's all kind of a blur. I just remember I felt so cold and it was just… dark. It was like I was nowhere. Then suddenly I could hear your voice, and I could see a light, and I followed both until the next thing I know, I was waking up and we were, uh… well, you know…"

"Oh, uh, yeah…" Kagome looked away.

"You gonna tell me what that was about?"

Kagome sighed and relented, knowing eventually she'd have to talk about it anyway. "When I tried to take the shard out of Yayano, I got pulled into this… this dark, awful place and I knew it was the jewel's evil taking over me. I was so scared and I thought I wasn't going to be able to beat it," She looked down at her feet, not wanting to meet his eyes as she said the next part. "Then, suddenly, you were there. You were there telling me to keep going and giving me courage and… that was how I beat her. I was thinking of you."

A silence fell between them. Eventually Kagome couldn't stand it any longer and let her eyes wander back up to steal a peek at his face. He was looking at her strangely, obviously lost in some deep thought.

"So," he spoke at last. "Is that why you… kissed me?"

"Uh…" Kagome cringed at the question. "N-not exactly… I didn't actually kiss _you_ , it was more like Mizuko…. kissed… me?"

More silence. Somehow, the now deadpan expression on Inuyasha's face was even worse than the outburst she'd been anticipating. His unyielding gaze was locked on her, like he was trying to bore into her head with his eyes. Finally, after a few more agonizing seconds, he heaved a sigh.

"I see," Was all he said before turning to walk away.

"Inuyasha… wait," Kagome wanted to say something but the right words weren't coming out. "Don't be upset…"

"You kissed him back, Kagome," Inuyasha's voice was almost inaudible with his back to her.

"What?" Kagome asked, moving closer to him.

The half-demon whirled back around and moved his face in close to her, making her gasp. "You kissed him back," he repeated coldly. "When I woke up, I was kissing you, _and_ you were kissing him, too."

"Not him, _you_!" Kagome said breathlessly, her face heating up. "He kissed me, but I kissed back because it was _you_!"

In the heat of the moment, without either realizing it, they'd moved so close that they were almost nose to nose. Inuyasha now had Kagome's shoulders in his grip and she'd put her hands against his chest, so close to an embrace and yet not quite. Both of them stared at each other as once more a quietness fell between the two, broken only by the sound of their heavy breathing.

Kagome stared up into those yellow eyes that were always so hard to look away from. Right then they were shimmering with something she'd not seen before; intense and fiery but also somehow so, so gentle. Slowly, his face moved closer to hers, and she thought her heart might just stop. She could feel his breath ghosting across her face as her eyes fell shut, and she waited in anticipation of the first touch of his lips when-

"Kagome! Inuyasha!" The two of them leapt apart like they'd been burned by a hot iron just as Shippo came bounding up to them with a wide grin on his face. "You guys, come on, the villagers made us dinner! Let's eat!"

Kagome and Inuyasha stared back at him mutely with dumbfounded looks on their faces. "Um… are you two okay?" Shippo asked with a raise of his eyebrows. "Your faces are kind of red."

"Uh, yeah! Of course!" Kagome finally managed to sputter out, forcing on a smile. "We'll be there in just a second. Thanks, Shippo."

The oblivious kit nodded and quickly pranced away again, leaving them standing apart from one another awkwardly. Still blushing, it was Kagome who managed to clear her throat and speak up first.

"Well, I'm starving," She said with a shy smile. "You want to go eat?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha nodded, the faintest of grins teasing at the corners of his mouth. He stepped closer to her and reached out to lightly hold her hand in his. "Let's go, dummy."

* * *

IT IS DONE! I hope you all enjoyed! I'll post new stories soon! Thanks for reading!


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